


Fresh Meat

by PromisedAngel



Series: Fresh Meat [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Blood, Cannibalism, Child Abuse, Eaten alive, Gen, Horror, Mild Gore, Mild Language, Predatortale, Predatortale AU, Slice of Life, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Tragedy, Undertale Spoilers, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-09-20 20:45:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 40
Words: 107,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17029713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PromisedAngel/pseuds/PromisedAngel
Summary: Predatortale AU fanfic. Chara fell into the depths of Mount Ebbot, where it is rumored man-eating monsters lived. However, instead of being eaten, Chara is adopted by the king’s family. Despite the danger, Chara is eager to explore their surroundings, but at the price of their presence being known. How long will it be before Chara’s time in the Underground comes to an end? More importantly, how will their time end?





	1. The Fall

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a mirror from one I've been creating since early 2016. While the first of the main story is complete, I am working on a really grimdark spinoff. I will be posting the chapters here at a rate of at least 1 a day, maybe faster if I am lost in the Tumblr Purge.  
> As a quick note, the Predatortale AU (owned by Foxy-Sierra on DeviantArt/Tumblr) is an AU in which monsters can only eat humans. Fresh Meat is not an official prequel nor is trying to be.

A smile cracked as the wind of the fall cascaded upon the child. Somehow, this wind brought with it not the despair it had thought, but peace of the life once lived. The child closed their eyes, allowing the darkness to swallow them whole. Yet, it was short lived. Sharp pain burst forth from their left side and their chest, not enough to claim their life, but enough to wish it. The child cried out, no words, but cries of pain as tears streamed down their pale face from their crimson eyes.  
_Not even death wanted them._

“It sounds like it came from over here…” A soft voice echoed in the darkness. Footsteps began to echo, ringing towards the fallen child. The child looked up, faintly seeing the stone cave around them thanks to the sunlight pouring from above. A gasp rang out, “Oh! You’ve fallen down, haven’t… you…”  
A figure stepped into the light, a small goat-child with a shocked look upon its face, revealing it’s sharp teeth. It quickly covered it’s mouth, “Oh no, you… you’re human… aren’t you?”  
The fallen child’s eyes widened, recognizing the reason for the question. This was a monster, and they had just fallen into their realm. The child tried to move, tried in some way to get up and run, but couldn’t. Even moving an inch made their muscles howl. The goat-child approached, “You’re hurt! Let me help you!”  
The fallen child cried, “No! Don’t! Please.”  
The goat-child stopped, “I… I just want to help. I promise. I don’t want to eat you. I don’t want to leave you here either.”  
Without any other hesitation, the goat-child helped the fallen child to their feet. The fallen child could do nothing but shake and close their eyes, awaiting a more painful end than they’d hoped. But it never came. The goat child spoke, “My name is Asriel, what’s your name?”  
The fallen child opened their eyes to see that they were being supported, and that Asriel was smiling, yet seemed on edge. The child looked away, a somber tone taking hold, “Why would you want to know that? Am I not just food to you?”  
Asriel frowned, “But I don’t want to eat you.”  
The fallen child raised an eyebrow, “You don’t?”  
Asriel shook his head, his ears flopping with it, “No.”  
The fallen child was silent for a moment, “Chara.”  
“What?”  
“My name is Chara.”  
Asriel smiled, “Chara, huh? That’s a nice name. C’mon, mom will know what to do.”  
The two started to walk, avoiding monsters as Asriel took Chara to the castle in New Home.

———————————————————————————

Both tired children entered the castle, the door loudly closing behind them. A voice immediately perked up, “Asriel? Is that you?”  
Asirel perked up, “Mom! I need some help!”  
Footsteps echoed from the right area of the house before a taller goat woman came into the entrance room. She gasped, “Asriel… is that….”  
Asirel nodded, “They need help.”  
The goat woman frowned and spoke firmly, “Go wash up Asriel. Quickly, before you smell anymore blood.”

Asriel nodded and went into the kitchen while the goat woman took Chara into her room. She dug through her drawers and pulled out a medical kit, “Please, child, take your sweater off so I may properly apply the gauze.”  
Chara closed up, eyes widening slowly, “But-“  
The goat woman continued to get the supplies ready, “It is nothing I haven’t seen before. Still, it is only the sweater.”  
Chara let out an exasperated sigh and took off the sweater with the goat woman’s help, revealing their prepubescent body full of scars. The goat woman frowned, “What terrible creature did all this to you, child?”  
Chara spoke with disdain, “Humans.”  
The goat woman paused for a moment, “I see, but you no longer have to worry about that.”  
Chara pouted and continued their disdainful tone, “Now I have to worry about when I’m eaten.”  
The goat woman put down the medical supplies completely and kneeled down towards Chara, “Listen, child. Yes, we monsters sustain ourselves by human flesh, but we are constantly working towards other ways to sustain us. Our Royal Scientist is hard at work as we speak. As long as you are in this house, we will ensure you are not harmed.”  
She smiled, “I’m quite proud of Asriel; he was able to control himself around you for so long.”  
She then grasped her left arm, “Even I am starting to shake a little.”  
Chara stepped back, but the goat woman once again grabbed the medical supplies, “Please, let me finish. I should be fine after I leave the room for a few minutes afterwards.”  
Chara stood there in silence; they kept an eye on the goat woman as she finished wrapping the gauze. She then stood up, “Child, stay in this room until I open it again.”

She then ran out of the room and closed the door. Chara could hear a deep sigh on the other side of the door. They could hear Asriel’s voice faintly through the door, “Mom! Is Chara going to be ok?”  
“Ah, their name is Chara? What a lovely name.”  
“Uh-huh, but are they ok?”  
“Asriel, we shouldn’t go in there until the blood is at least dry.”  
“But-“  
“You don’t want to hurt them, right?”  
“No… I don’t…”  
“Then-“  
“Can I at least stay with them, talk to them through the door?”  
“Well, I suppose that would be fine.”  
“Thanks, mom!”

A knock came from the door, “Chara?”  
Chara sat down against the door, “I’m here. I heard you and your mom through the door.”  
Asriel sounded relieved, “You sound much better already. I knew mom would be able to help you.”  
Chara sighed, “I still don’t understand why you’re helping me.”  
“Isn’t it natural to help someone in need?”  
Chara stayed silent, and Asriel’s voice deflated, “That’s terrible. Don’t worry, Chara; I’ll be really good to you! I’ll be your best friend!”  
Chara cracked a small smile, “Could you really?”  
Asriel huffed, “Of course! I promise! I swear I’ll never hurt you; I’ll never try to bite you! We’ll help you…”  
Chara sat there in silence, stunned and numb at all Asriel said. Asriel gave a happy noise through the door, “I’m going to see if mom has something you ca-“  
“No.”  
“Huh?”  
“Just… stay here with me for a while?”  
A moment of silence passed between them before Asriel responded, “Sure thing.”


	2. The Family

The king of monsters returned home to find his wife in the kitchen, her fur slightly disheveled and she was cleaning her hands vigorously, “Toriel? Is something wrong?”  
Toriel jumped slightly at his voice. She turned and smiled, “Oh, welcome home, Asgore.”  
Asgore grew more concerned, “Tori, what’s wrong?”  
Toriel sighed, “I suppose it wouldn’t matter trying to keep it from you.”  
Asgore finally looked down at Toriel’s hands and saw there were small red stains on them, “What’s that on your fur?”  
Toriel frowned, “It’s exactly what you think it is. Blood. Human blood.”  
Asgore stepped back; his eyes alight with shock, “A human? Here? Where? Di-did it hurt you-“  
Toriel interrupted, “I’m fine, Asgore. It’s just a child. Asriel found them hurt and brought them back here.”  
Asgore didn’t say anything for a few moments, shock slowly dissipating before Toriel’s eyes. He sighed, “This is quite the problem.”  
Toriel nodded, “Indeed it is. I can only imagine what will happen once other monsters know of their presence,”  
Asgore still had hints of worry, “What will we do when they are discovered?”  
Toriel frowned, “I believe that is your job, Dreemurr.”  
Asgore gave out a small laugh, “I suppose it is.”  
Toriel finished washing her hands, “They’re in my room, but don’t go in; their wounds are still fresh.”  
Asgore looked around, “Where’s Asriel?”  
Toriel walked with Asgore into the living room, “He’s keeping Chara company, just outside the door so he won’t smell the blood.”  
Asgore smiled, “I think I will do the same. I would like to meet this human.”

Asgore walked down the hallway and saw that Asriel was leaning against Toriel’s door with a smile on his face. He stood up and greeted his father, “Howdy, father!”  
Asgore smiled, “Howdy, Asriel. May I speak with the human?”  
Asriel frowned, “Mom says you shouldn’t go in.”  
Asgore laughed as he positioned himself in front of the door, “Yes, she did say.”  
Asgore spoke, “Howdy, human.”  
Chara didn’t speak for a moment, “Hello.”  
Asgore continued, “I am Asgore, Asriel’s father. Toriel told me your name was Chara?”  
“Mh-hm.”  
Asriel spoke up, “It’s ok, Chara. Dad just wants to say hi.”  
Asgore looked down at Asriel, “They’re scared, aren’t they?”  
Asriel frowned and nodded, “They’re worried we’re going to eat them. But I’m not going to!”  
Asgore smiled, “Then neither will I, and I’m sure Toriel isn’t going to either, if she was willing to tend their wounds.”  
Asriel’s face lit up, “Then, does that mean they can stay here?!”  
Asgore nodded, “As long as they would like.”  
Asgore then turned towards the door, “Chara, while we wait, would you like a cup of tea?”  
Chara’s voice sounded like it was cracking, “Yes,”  
Asriel jumped up, “Chara! Are you ok?!”  
Chara sniffled, “I’m just… happy.”  
Asriel smiled, “I am too.”  
Asgore went back to the kitchen to make some tea, passing by Toriel, “Chara is going to stay with us.”  
Toriel looked up at Asgore from her chair, “For how long?”  
Asgore continued his way to the kitchen, “For as long as they’d like.”  
Toriel gave a half smile, “Then, we’ll protect them. We’ll give them a good life here.”  
Asgore spoke from the kitchen, “I certainly hope so. I wish that Chara could give us all hope.”  
Toriel stood from her chair and followed her husband into the kitchen “That’s a tall order for them, and you know it.”  
Asgore looked towards Toriel, giving a hopeful smile, “I can dream, can’t I?”  
He set down teacups and packets of tea before speaking again, “I know it is selfish of me, but perhaps, even seeing one family get along with a human, perhaps it could give us all hope.”  
Asgore’s smile faded slightly, “If it was a different world, if we didn’t need to eat them to survive, then I could see it happening with ease. Still, I want to try.”  
Toriel sounded worried, “Then, are you prepared for the backlash?”  
Asgore frowned, “No. But I will withstand it,”  
Toriel gave Asgore a quick kiss on the cheek, “Then Chara is now a part of our family.”  
Asgore went back to preparing the tea, “Chara Dreemurr, it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”  
Toriel nodded and went back to her chair in the living room.

——————————————————————————————————–

Asgore approached the door cautiously, “Chara, your tea is ready. I’m going to place the cup on the ground and we’ll walk away from the door.”  
Chara responded, “Ok.”  
The teacup tray gently clinked against the wooden floors. Asriel sighed and stood up before they walked halfway down the hall before he called out, “It’s ok now!”  
The door opened a crack and the teacup was gently picked up and carried into the room before the door closed. Asriel immediately dashed back to the door, followed by Asgore. Asgore handed Asriel his own cup of tea, “Here, Asriel. I thought you might enjoy a cup as well.”  
Asriel took the teacup with care, “Thanks, dad.”  
Chara spoke out, “It’s good.”  
Asgore smiled, “I’m glad you like it, it’s my favorite tea.”  
Chara continued, “I used to have a tea in my village made out of golden flowers.”  
Asgore nodded, “This one is made from flowers, but not golden ones. I hope you like it just as well.”  
Chara let out a noise of approval, “This one has a different taste to it; the Golden Flower Tea was more complex. I like this one all the same.”  
Asgore nodded, “I would like to try it some time, perhaps the underground has some of the same flowers.”  
Asriel spoke up, “We can explore the underground together! There are so many places I haven’t explored, and I know a lot of good hiding spots!”

A voice echoed from down the hall, “Asriel, you know the underground will be dangerous for Chara.”  
Toriel approached her family and Asriel spoke, “I know mom, I’ll protect them.”  
Toriel frowned, “Asriel…”  
Asriel stood up, “Mom, I can do this! I may be a crybaby but I’m still strong!”  
Asgore sighed, “Perhaps we let them try?”  
Toriel folded her arms, her voice rose slightly, “Asgore.”  
Asgore continued, “If it is too dangerous, then at the very least they’ll have the castle. I’m sure Chara would like to see the underground at least once. Isn’t that right.”  
Chara let out a small laugh, “Indeed.”  
Asgore smiled, “See?”  
Toriel sighed, “Children will be children, I suppose.”  
Asriel cheered, “Yes!”  
Toriel folded her arms again, “But, the very second you two come into contact with another monster, Chara is to hide. Once they’re gone, you two come straight home. Am I clear?”  
Asriel shuffled his hands, his body closed in on himself slightly and his head peaked down and his voice cracked slightly, “Yes, ma’am.”  
Chara lightly snorted, “Are you crying?”  
Asriel sniffed and tried to dry the budding tears, “N-no!”  
Chara held their breath, trying to contain their laughter. Toriel kneeled down and hugged Asriel, “There, there, my child.”  
Asgore joined in the hug, “It will be alright, Asriel.”

The hug stopped after a few seconds. Toriel stood and approached the door, “I believe the blood should be dry by now. I’m coming in.”  
Chara let out a noise of acknowledgment before Toriel slowly opened the door to find Chara backing away from it, sweater still off, and their gauze moderately stained with blood. The stench of blood was mild but unmistakable. Despite it, Toriel continued. She slowly unwrapped the gauze and found the wounds were no longer open, lightly scabbed over but still wet and sensitive. Once she was finished unwrapping the gauze she held them in her hands and within an instant, they were set aflame. Chara blinked, “What? How?”  
Toriel smiled, “We cannot risk simply throwing these away. The smell could slowly drive any monster mad.”  
Asriel looked up at Toriel, “Mom…”  
Toriel continued her smile, “Do not worry, Asriel, this will not tire me so easily.”  
Asgore nodded, “Still, be careful.”  
He then leaned down towards Chara, “It is nice to finally see you, Chara.”  
Chara blinked, gleams of marvel in their eyes, “Nice to meet you… too.”  
Asriel let out a small laugh, “Yeah, dad’s big, isn’t he?”  
Chara grabbed their sweater, “Uh-huh…”  
Toriel looked down, “Oh, don’t put your sweater on yet. Let me put smaller bandages on those wounds, just in case.”  
Chara puffed out their cheeks, “Fine.”  
Asgore and Asriel let out a small laugh as Toriel retrieved the first aid kit once more and applied small bandages to Chara’s torso and left arm, “There now, you should take it easy for a couple of days; we don’t know the scope of you internal injuries after all.”  
Chara put their sweater back on and spoke quietly, “Th-thank you.”  
Toriel gently rubbed Chara’s head, “You’re welcome, my child.”  
Chara gasped and looked up at Toriel with their eyes wide open. Toriel frowned, “Oh my, that’s right; we never properly asked you. We are allowing you to stay here, but there is one condition.”  
Asgore and Asriel came forward and stood next to Toriel, “We would like you to be a part of our family.”  
Chara’s jaw dropped slightly as Asgore spoke, “What do you say? Would you like to be part of our family, not just a guest?”  
Tears peaked through Chara’s eyes, it took a few moments for them to respond, “Yes.”  
The Dreemurrs embraced their new addition to their family, smiles on all their faces.


	3. Uncertainty

Chara was led to the living room, where the family was hoping to adjust to the new addition. The fireplace burned gently thanks to Toriel, whom sat in a chair next to it. Asriel sat near the fire with Chara while Asgore went to the bookshelf. He finally chose a book and approached his family, “Ah, here it is, the history of monsters.”  
Toriel spoke, “You want Chara to hear our side of the story, don’t you?”  
Asgore nodded, “I thought it would be a nice place to start.”  
Chara nodded, “That does sound nice.”

Toriel took the book from her husband as Asgore circled around, standing behind Toriel’s chair. Toriel opened the book and spoke, “Long ago, us monsters shared the surface with the humans. However, the time was not peaceful, as we needed to eat humans to survive.”  
Chara looked to the side and grasped one of their arms in response, trying not to look uncomfortable. Toriel noticed, but continued calmly, “After generations of mild struggle, a monster killed a beloved child of humanity. In rage, the humans attacked, no longer afraid.”  
Chara’s eyes widened, now interested in the story, but was silent for Toriel, “A war raged for nearly a generation, causing the deaths of countless monsters and humans. But the humans won in the end, driving what was left of us monsters underneath Mount Ebbot. With magic unlike any monsters have ever seen, a barrier was erected around the mountain; trapping us all inside. With nowhere else to go, we monsters created a home within the mountain, which we simply called ‘Home’.”  
Asriel snickered, “Dad’s pretty bad at naming things.”  
Asgore blushed and spoke shyly, “There was a lot of pressure.”

His blush waned, “At the very least, I would like to think I did a good job naming you Asriel.”  
Toriel snarked, “You simply combined our two names,”  
Asgore bemoaned slightly, “Tori…”  
Chara let out a small laugh at their father’s expense while Asriel smiled and spoke shyly, “It’s ok dad, I like my name.”  
Asgore gave a soft smile, “Thank you Asriel.”

Toriel closed the book, “Well, I think that is all that Chara needs to know.”  
Asriel nodded and looked towards Chara, “So what’s the story like on the surface.”  
Chara scratched their head and mused, “Not much different, except humans are the ‘noble heroes’ while monsters are ‘savage beasts’.”  
Toriel spoke as she got up from her chair, “As I suspected.”  
Asriel frowned, “Do you know anything about the human child that was killed?”  
Chara nodded, “Yes, it was the child of a very powerful leader.”  
Asgore came out from behind Toriel’s chair, “I thought that was the case.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “You say that as if you were alive back then.”  
Asgore nodded, “Indeed, as Boss Monsters, Toriel, Asriel, and I could live for quite a long time.”  
Toriel returned from the shelf, “Asgore had recently become king just before the war began. I suppose his age around that time would be equal to a human reaching adulthood.”  
Chara blinked, “I see- wait, king?!”  
Chara looked up at Asgore, “You’re the king of monsters?!”  
Asgore nodded, “Indeed I am.

Chara’s mouth hung slightly agape. Asriel gave out a small laugh in response. Toriel passed by them and walked towards the kitchen, “Dinner should be about ready.”  
Chara’s eyes shot open, fear creeping into their voice, “D-dinner? But, I thought you ate humans?”  
Toriel turned back towards Chara, “We’re finding ways to mostly sate our hunger. One way we have found, at least for this family, is snails.”  
Asriel beamed, “Mom’s snail pie is the best!”  
Chara reeled back in uncertainty, “I’ll… take your word for it.”  
Toriel spoke from the kitchen, “Don’t be silly, of course you may have a slice.”  
Chara let out a sigh, “Ok.”  
Asriel frowned, “Do humans not like snails?”  
Chara frowned, “Well, I’ve never tried them.”  
Asriel smiled, “Well, you have a good pie to start with.”  
Toriel came out of the kitchen with a large pie in her paws, cradled in a hot pad underneath. She gently placed it on the table and turned back to her family, “Asriel, would you and Chara please set the table? I will go look for a chair for Chara.”  
Asgore perked up, “Ah, I know what to use.”  
Asgore quickly exited the living room and walked down the hallway towards the bedrooms, causing Toriel to smile. Asriel stood and lent a paw to Chara, “C’mon, I know where the plates and forks are.”

Chara followed Asriel into the kitchen. Asriel opened the lower drawer next to the over and got out four plates. He then gave them to Chara before going into the higher draw and getting out four forks. Asriel started to walk back to the living room before Chara spoke, “What about the knives?”  
Asriel turned back to Chara, “Oh, mom or dad has to get those.”  
He pointed to the detached cabinet high above the stove, “They’re up there.”  
Chara’s gaze followed Asriel, “I see…”  
Asriel smiled, “C’mon, I’m sure you’re hungry too.”  
Chara frowned, “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t…”  
Asriel gave out a small laugh as the two of them returned to the living room to see Asgore placing a large chair in front of the table. Asgore smiled contently, “There. That should do for tonight.”  
Toriel headed for the kitchen, “I shall go out tomorrow morning and buy a matching chair.”  
Asriel marveled at the chair, “Wow! Isn’t that your desk chair, dad?”  
Asgore nodded, “It is rather large for Chara, but I thought it would work for tonight.”  
Chara lightly inspected the chair as they put the plates on the table, “Thank you.”  
Toriel returned with a knife, “Now, let’s sit down and eat.”

As the family sat down, Toriel cut up the snail pie into twelve pieces, placing four slices onto the plates. Asriel passed two plates down to Chara and Asgore, the ladder calmly starting to eat the moment the pie was set in front of him. Chara hesitated, lightly poking the snails in the piecrust with their fork. They took a deep sigh before shoving one of the snails in their mouth with their fork. Their first reaction was of shock as they felt the texture of the snails, chewy and rubbery. Chara quickly swallowed the snail to get rid of the texture but then noticed an aftertaste of butter and garlic. Toriel quickly took notice, “Are you alright, Chara? Do you not like it?”  
Chara gave a nervous smile, “The texture will take some getting used to, but I liked the aftertaste.”  
Asriel smiled, “See? I told you this was a good one to start with!”  
Toriel gave a kind smile, “I am glad you were willing to give it a try, even if you did not enjoy it.”  
Chara frowned, “I did say I liked the aftertaste.”  
Toriel spoke, “That does not mean you enjoyed the full taste. It is ok to be honest with me, Chara.”  
Chara sighed then spoke plainly, “Yes, I did not enjoy the taste of the snail itself, but I will eat it.”  
Toriel frowned, “Then I will have to find something you do enjoy the taste of, I must admit it will be nice cooking something other than snail pie for a change.”  
Chara went to speak but Asriel shook his head towards Chara, stopping them from speaking. Chara then went silent and finished their slice of pie with the family.

——————————————————————————————-

It was decided for the night that Chara would sleep in Toriel’s chair, as there were no spare beds in the house. Chara was given the blanket that sat on the chair and a spare pillow. Chara put the pillow behind them and spoke, “Why do you have a spare pillow?”  
Toriel spoke, “Well, when Asriel was very young and getting use to his claws he accidentally tore a couple pillows in his sleep.”  
Asriel blushed through his fur, “But I was really, really little!”  
Chara gave out a snort of laughter as Toriel tucked Chara into the chair. Toriel sighed, “I hope this will do for tonight, I find my chair comfy, but I have never slept in it before.”  
Chara got comfortable on their side, “It’s ok… I’ve slept on worse.”  
Toriel gave a small frown, “I see.”  
She gently petted Chara’s head, “Worry not, my child, those days are over.”  
Asgore spoke gently, “If you need anything at all, we are right down the hall. Please do not be afraid to ask.”  
Chara nodded. Toriel tried to give Chara a gentle kiss, but saw that Chara was nervous as her face approached. She backed off and gave a patient smile, “Goodnight, Chara.”  
“Goodnight.”

Chara waited until they heard all three doors close before they attempted to fall asleep. They tossed and turned, but found that their eyes didn’t want to stay closed. After a half hour of trying, they sighed and sat up in the chair. They looked around the dimmed room, only lit by the remaining embers of the fireplace. They sighed and got out of the chair, wrapping themself in the blanket for warmth. They walked down the hallway until they got to Toriel’s door. They lifted their arm to knock on her door before they heard a voice from their left, “Can’t sleep?”  
Chara jumped to the right side to see Asriel standing there, his fur slightly disheveled. Chara calmed down and nodded silently. Asriel smiled, “Me too.”  
He motioned for Chara to follow, “C’mon.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow with suspicion, “Where?”  
Asriel spoke calmly, “Don’t worry, it’s in the castle.”

Chara followed Asriel cautiously as they were led down the stairs in the house’s entrance room. The long tunnels were nearly pitch black, except for small torch sconces on the wall every few feet. Chara’s eyes kept darting toward the shadows of the tunnels, expecting a monster to jump out of the darkness at them. But nobody came. After a few minutes of twisting around corners, they entered a large lit room. A vibrant flower garden. Chara’s eyes lit up immediately at the sight, “Whoa!”  
Asriel stepped forward, “Yeah, it’s great, isn’t it? Dad’s been working hard on it ever since we’ve been down here. I don’t know how he got a lot of seeds from the surface, but he did!”  
Chara examined the array of flowers, “Some monsters probably had some seeds stuck to them when they came down here.”  
Asriel looked around, “So, do we have any of the golden flowers you mentioned?”  
Chara shook their head, “No.”  
Asriel frowned, “Aww, that’s too bad. Dad seemed like he really wanted to try that tea you mentioned.”  
Chara gave a half smile, “And you, too?”  
Asriel blushed and rubbed his head, “Hehe, maybe.”

Asriel sat near the center of the large garden in a large patch of grass; he patted the ground next to him, motioning for Chara to come sit next to him. Chara silently obliged but sat near the edge of the grass. Asriel frowned, “You can sit right next to me.”  
Chara frowned and said nothing, causing Asriel’s frown to descend even more, “You still don’t trust me?”  
Chara spoke plainly, “It takes more than a day to build trust.”  
“How long?”  
“A long time.”  
Asriel was silent for a moment, “Well? What do I have to do to earn your trust?”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “You really want to know?”  
Asriel nodded, his expression lightening up, “Yeah!”  
Chara looked Asriel straight in the eye, “Never hurt me.”  
Asriel spoke, worry creeping into his voice, “I don’t want to hurt you! I…”  
Tears started to well in his eyes, causing Chara to open their mouth slightly, caught off guard as Asriel continued, “I just want to be your friend.”  
Asriel cupped his face, “I’ve… never had a friend before.”  
Asriel started to sob lightly, “I’ve told you over and over today that I’m not going to hurt you. Please, why can’t you believe me?”  
Chara was silent for a moment, their gaze shifting away for a second. They then gave a resigned sigh and lifted their sweater slightly, revealing some of their scars, “Because I’ve been told that before.”  
Asriel uncovered his eyes and saw the scars. Their eyes widened, fright and disbelief seeping into their still leaking eyes. Asriel immediately hugged Chara, much to Chara’s shock. Asriel spoke through his sobs, “No one is ever going to hurt you like that again.”  
Chara’s voice wavered slightly, “Promise?”  
Asriel pulled back and made an ‘x’ motion over his heart, “Cross my heart or hope to become dust.”  
Chara’s eyes welded, but before the sobs began, they leaned into Asriel’s chest. Asriel gave them a light hug and let them cry until they were ready to go back home.


	4. The Second Day

Toriel woke up first and found Chara sleeping comfortably on her chair. She couldn’t help but smile as she quietly walked into the kitchen. She dug around the cabinets and the fridge, ignoring the snail pie she cooked last night. She put some different ingredients on the countertop and spoke with a sigh, “I suppose this will have to do.”  
She quickly went to work making a new pie, sweet scents started to waft from the kitchen as she made it. Chara gently opened their eyes in reaction to the smell. They stretched and groaned then gasped with a start. Toriel immediately ran out into the living room, “Chara? What’s wrong?”  
Chara rubbed their eyes, “I… I almost forgot yesterday happened.”  
They unwrapped themselves from the blanket and spoke again, “What are you making?”  
Toriel relaxed, “Breakfast. I thought I would try something different. I hope you will find this one more to your liking.”  
Chara jumped down from the chair and stretched again, hearing their back crack slightly then giving a sigh of content. They spoke again, “What’s in it?”  
Toriel seemed unsure of herself, “I did not have much in the kitchen, but I was able to find some butterscotch. It was not enough for a pie so I put some cinnamon in as well.”  
Chara blinked, “A butterscotch-cinnamon pie?”  
Toriel frowned, “Do you not like any of those? I should have asked you first…”  
Chara quickly shook their head, “No, it’s not that. I’ve just never had either before.”  
Toriel raised an eyebrow, “Chara, what have you eaten? It’s starting to sound like you’ve never had a balanced diet.”  
Chara lightly grasped their left arm and frowned, “Not… regularly.”  
Toriel’s expression descended slightly, “What happened to you before you fell down here? The scars, the unbalanced diet, the distrust-“  
“Stop.” Chara interrupted Toriel with a harsh tone, their own grip on their arm tightened with every word Toriel spoke. Chara looked up at Toriel, their tone softened, “Can we not… talk about that… anymore?”  
Toriel gave a patient smile and gently petted Chara’s head, “Of course. But I will always be there when you are ready to talk.”  
Chara nodded as Toriel stood and walked into the kitchen, “Now, it should be ready very soon.”  
She briefly turned back towards Chara, “Chara? Would you please wake Asriel and Asgore?”

Chara nodded and walked down the hallway, first knocking on Asriel’s door. A small groan replied, “Five more minutes, mom.”  
Chara opened the door and spoke dryly, “Guess again.”  
Asriel immediately shot up from his bed and gasped, “Yesterday wasn’t a dream! Yes!”  
Chara gave a small laugh, “I actually had the same suspicion.”  
Asriel jumped out of bed, an excited grin upon his face, “I’m so glad you agreed to be a part of our family!”  
Chara pointed their thumb in the direction of Asgore’s room, “Your mother asked us to wake up your father.”  
Asriel walked towards the door, “C’mon, they’re your mom and dad now too!”  
Asriel and Chara walked towards Asgore’s door, but before Chara knocked, Asriel stopped them, “Wait.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Why?”  
Chara’s gaze then turned impish, “Oh, I see.”

The two children then giggled slightly as they opened the door to the dark room. Snores pervaded the silence as they sneaked on their tiptoes, barely able to contain their childish giggles, Chara especially. The two reached the large bed, only able to see the back of a massive figure snoring away peacefully. Asriel climbed up onto the bed and started tickling Asgore’s back. Stifled laughs started to peak through after a few seconds. Asriel looked back at Chara motioned his head towards Asgore silently as he continued tickling. Chara put a hand on one of their hips and gave a half smile. With a few more seconds, Asgore started to howl with laughter. He then sat up in his bed and spoke between his laughs, “Good morning Asriel!”  
His chuckles simmered down before he opened his eyes and spotted Chara. He smiled at them calmly, “And a good morning to you, Chara.”  
Chara looked up at Asgore nervously and spoke quietly, “G-good morning.”  
Asgore stood from his bed, “I’ll be a minute; I have to dress for work.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow as Asgore turned on the light in the room, “Work?”  
Asriel smiled, “Did you forget already?”  
Chara shook their head, “No… It just… takes some getting used to.”  
Asgore spoke calmly, “While I am in this house, I am just a father, and that is all I want you to see me as. If seeing me as king will help you adjust, then go ahead.”  
Chara’s mouth hung open, stunned silent. Asriel led them out of the room, “Come on, let’s go have breakfast.”

Chara nodded slowly, walking back to the kitchen with Asriel. Toriel already had breakfast set up on the table; three pieces of snail pie and one piece of the butterscotch-cinnamon pie. Chara climbed up onto the big chair and saw the new pie, smiling at the smell, “It smells good.”  
Asriel raised an eyebrow, “What did you make for Chara?”  
Toriel smiled as she sat down, “A butterscotch-cinnamon pie. It was… really all I could find in the kitchen.”  
Chara immediately dug in with their fork and tasted it. Their eyes lit up, “It’s good!”  
Toriel spoke gladly as Chara greedily dug into their piece of pie, “I’m glad I was able to find something you like with my limited ingredients.”  
Asriel leaned over towards Chara, “Can I try?!”  
Chara look up from their piece and frowned, unsure. Asriel’s eyes sparkled, “Pleeeeease?”  
Chara frowned and looked to the side before sliding the very small remainder of their pie over to Asriel. Asriel immediately tried the pie and paused, bewilderment creeping into their gaze. Toriel frowned, “What’s wrong Asriel?”  
Asriel put his fork down, “It’s good but… it feels like something’s…. missing.”  
Toriel gave a patient smile, “I suspect it is because it is your first meal without any meat in it”  
Asriel fell silent, naught but a stern frown on his face. Toriel stood up and walked over to Asriel before giving him a hug. Asriel silently hugged back, no words exchanged, not even a sound before Asgore came into the room, “Oh dear, am I interrupting something?”  
Toriel and Asriel pulled away from their hug and looked towards Asgore, now clad in golden armor and a large purple cape. Chara’s mouth was once again agape, but only for a second. Asriel spoke, “It’s nothing dad, just my first bit of food without meat.”  
Asgore sat down, his armor clanking with every step, “Ah, was it good, at least?”  
Asriel nodded, “Just strange without it.”

Chara changed the subject, “Why are you wearing that armor?”  
Asgore let out a chuckle, “I have a meeting today with the Royal Guard.”  
Toriel perked up, “I thought you were meeting the Royal Scientist today.”  
Asgore nodded, “I am meeting with both, one after the other.”  
He took a bite out of his slice of pie before continuing, “I’m looking forward to talking with Gaster again. I cannot wait to hear the progress of the Core’s power expansion to Snowdin.”  
Asriel perked up before Chara could ask, “The Core’s what gives the underground electricity.”  
Chara continued their questions, “So then, Gaster is the Royal Scientist?”  
Asgore answered gladly, “Indeed. Dr. W. D. Gaster is my Royal Scientist. The Core was his design and he when he’s not working on that or trying to find ways to break the barrier, he’s researching other…. Um… food sources.”  
Chara hugged themself with one arm, “I see.”  
Asgore frowned, “Chara, I am not telling him about you.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Why not?”  
Asgore looked up and scratched his chin lightly, “Well, he will find out on his own at some point.”  
Toriel frowned, “While I will agree it is devious to hide your presence from the kingdom, if monsters know you are here it will be very dangerous for you. It may become dangerous for all of us.”  
Chara looked around at their family, all grimly frowning while Chara themself was confused, “Why go through all that trouble for me?”  
Toriel smiled once again, “Because, despite everything, it is in our nature to be kind.”

Chara fell silent, they looked at Asriel who lightly smiled and once again did the ‘x’ motion over his heart. Chara returned only a half smile. They heard Asgore groan and stretch before standing. He smiled, “Unfortunately, I must be off.”  
He kneeled down next to Chara and Asriel, “Stay safe.”  
He gave Toriel a light nose nuzzle before calmly walking down the stairs. Toriel stood after finishing her slice of pie, “Chara, are you done? I’m going to put that chair back in Asgore’s room.”  
Chara nodded and got down from the large chair. Toriel took the chair and quickly returned it to Asgore’s room. She returned and gave her two children a smile, “Now, I’m going out for a bed, another chair, and some more food. Please stay here. I should be back in time for lunch.”  
She gave Chara a pet on their head and Asriel a hug. Asriel frowned, “Can I at least show them the castle?”  
Toriel spoke contently, “Very well, just stay away from the meetings your father is attending.”  
Her face and tone suddenly became strict, “And remember the second a monster sees Chara, hide then come home.”  
Asriel nodded, “Right!”  
Toriel walked out the front door only looking back for a moment with a worried glance before closing the door. Asriel gave a sigh, “Well, let’s go explore the castle!”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “But you already showed me the castle last night.”  
They pointed towards the stairs, “Even the ‘royal entrance’.”  
Asriel nodded and headed towards the stairs, “Yeah, but there’s one thing I really want to show you… well… besides the throne room, but we can’t go there because of dad’s meetings.”  
Chara gave a half smile, “Fine. However, I get to choose where to go next.”  
Asriel smiled, “Deal!”

Chara quickly followed Asriel down the stairs, noticing Asriel was taking them down different tunnels than last night. It didn’t take long for the tunnel to open up, causing Chara to stop. To their left was a view of the city of New Home, many large buildings of stone illuminated by either fire or electricity. It took a few steps for Asriel to notice Chara’s awe. He went back and stood next to Chara, “Great view, isn’t it?”  
Chara nodded, “It is.”  
They looked over at Asriel, “Is this what you wanted to show me?”  
Asriel shook their head, “No, its just ahead.”  
Chara once again followed Asriel down the partially exposed tunnel, until they came across an elevator on their left and a hallway on their right. They saw a golden light pouring from the right hallway. Before they saw anymore, Asriel motioned for them to stop, his voice dropping to a whisper, “Wait here. I have to make sure it’s safe.”  
Asriel walked into the golden light and returned after only a few seconds, “C’mon!”  
Chara took a deep breath before following Asriel into the light. When they saw the hallway in its full glory, they let out a small gasp. Their jaw hit the floor. They stood in a hallway of golden tiles and columns. On one side, windows stood, washing the room with more golden and white light. On the other, elegant murals telling the history of monsters, starting from the direction Chara and Asriel entered. Asriel turned and smiled at Chara’s awe, “Dad calls this place the ‘Last Corridor’ since it’s the last hallway before the throne room.”  
Chara took a few steps forward, “It is almost like a church.”  
Asriel looked unsure, “Church? What’s that?”  
Chara hesitated, not sure how to explain it, “Well… a… a place of religious worship for humans.  
Asriel continued his questioning gaze, “What’s… religious worship?”

Chara paused again, but before they could speak again they heard a strange noise from the grey hallway, “What’s that noise?”  
Asriel gasped, “The elevator! The Royal Guard must be coming!”  
Asriel grabbed Chara’s hand and led behind one of the many columns to hide. They heard a ding come from the grey hallway and a ‘woosh’ soon after. A single pair of footsteps sounded in the Last Corridor, slow, methodical, and light. No hint of armor in the steps. Asriel hesitated, trying to hold his breath and cover Chara’s mouth to keep their breath as silent as possible. Still, the footsteps drew closer, far too close for the children’s liking. They stopped, just near the pillar they hid behind. Asriel could no longer hide, curiosity bubbling. He looked over at Chara, their gaze begging for them to stay there. Chara looked up and gave a begrudging nod before Asriel peaked around the column. He saw something he didn’t expect, a tall, unusually thin figure in a flowing black coat that hung just above the ground. The figure’s completion was pure white, not of skin, but of bone. Even from behind, Asriel knew who this was and approached him cautiously. As Asriel took his first few steps, the figure spoke in a tenor-esque voice, his voice calm and polite, “Greetings, Prince Dreemurr.”  
Asriel spoke shyly in response, “Hi… Mr. Gaster.”


	5. Peaceful Afternoon

Chara could barely peak around the column to see the famed Royal Scientist. What glimpses they saw were curious. From what Chara could see of the left side of his skull, Gaster had a crack under his eye socket that held a white dot to simulate an iris. They could also see that Gaster had giant holes in his solid hands of bone. Underneath Gaster’s coat was a plain white button-up shirt, only slightly visible.

Gaster closed his eyes and bowed lightly towards Asriel, “It is a pleasure to see you again.”  
Gaster stood tall, his gaze was neutral and his tone firm, “What brings you to the Last Corridor?”  
Asriel put his hands behind his back and shuffled his feet, “Well… I…”  
Gaster smirked and gave a light chuckle, “You were trying to sneak into your father’s meeting with the Royal Guard, weren’t you?”  
Asriel said nothing in response, prompting Gaster to speak again, “I see.”  
Asriel finally spoke up, “Well… what are you doing here? Dad’s meeting is going to take a while.”  
Gaster lightly grasped his hands together, “Indeed.”  
He turns his gaze towards the murals, taking a few steps toward them, “However, I find the Last Corridor a sublime place to gather my thoughts and open my mind to new possibilities.”  
His gaze turned back towards Asriel with a smile, revealing his other surprisingly undamaged eye to the hidden Chara, “It is here where I hypothesized that you and your family can partially sate your hunger with snails. That is just one of many thoughts that have budded here.”  
Asriel hesitated, his mind drifting towards Chara, whom he knew was hiding mere feet from where they stood, “I see.”  
Gaster’s eyes narrowed slightly, “Would you care to join me in this reflection?”  
Asriel shuffled his paws around, “Well I-“

A ringing sound echoed through the Last Corridor, though not one of bells. Gaster reached into his pocket, his gaze and tone becoming more focused and cold as he answered, “Yes?”  
He paused for a few moments, “What problem?”  
After another pause, his voice raised, “They did what?!”  
He gave an exasperated sigh, “I’m coming back. Hopefully before any true damage is done.”  
He hung up the phone and immediately turned around, facing back towards the grey hallway. His tone suddenly turned gentle, “I apologize, Prince Dreemurr, but I must postpone our reflection.”  
The started to walk away, “I have an intern to chastise.”  
Asriel started to relax, “S-see you later!”

Gaster said nothing as he left the Last Corridor. Asriel heard the elevator activate and gave a great sigh of relief, “It’s ok now, Chara.”  
Chara came out from behind the pillar, “That was the Royal Scientist?”  
Asriel nodded, “Yeah, thank goodness Mr. Gaster didn’t notice you.”  
Chara nodded in return, then pointed towards their left eye, “So, what happened to his eye?”  
Asriel crossed his arms, “I don’t know. He’s had it as long as I can remember.”  
Asirel then rubbed the back of his head, “But I, I never bothered to ask, hehe.”  
Chara frowned and crossed their arms, “I assume the same of the holes in his hands.”  
Asriel put his arms at his side and nodded silently. Chara turned back towards the grey hallway, Asriel spoke, “W-we should probably go back home. That was way too close.”  
“No. Not yet.”  
Asriel walked in front of Chara, blocking their way, “What? But you heard mom!”  
Chara gave a strange smile, “She said if a monster spotted me to go back home. He didn’t see me. Therefore, we do not have to go home yet.”  
Chara’s smile turned smug and they shrugged, “Besides, you said I could choose where we go next. Correct?”  
Asriel grasped one of his arms and nodded, worried, “Y-yeah…”  
Chara had their smile turn more genuine, “I would like to see where I fell.”  
Asirel’s eyes were alight with slight panic, “W-where you fell? That’s on the other side of the underground! There’s no way we’d make it home before mom if we went all the way there!”  
Chara frowned and raised an eyebrow, “Then how did you get me over here so fast?”  
Asriel blinked, caught off guard. He twiddled his paws, “W-we didn’t… y-you were unconscious a lot of the time. You fell in the morning, just before noon I think, and it took most of the afternoon to get you back home.”

Chara was silent for a moment, cupping their chin with their right thumb and pointer finger, and a stern expression towards the ground. After a moment, they closed their eyes and sighed, “Fine.”  
Asriel gave a calming sigh, “Thank you, Chara.”  
Chara looked up at Asriel, “So, what now?”  
Asriel scratched his cheek, “Hmm…. I guess we go home for now.”  
Chara pouted silently before Asriel spoke quickly, “Don’t worry! I’ve got lots of toys we could play with, and a few coloring books too!”  
Chara blinked, “Well… I suppose that could pass the time…”  
Asriel smiled and started to walk towards the grey hallway, “We can try to explore tomorrow. I’m sure mom and dad will be out all day in New Home.”  
Chara walked with Asriel, their mischievous smile peaking out, “That should be more than enough time.”

———————————————————–

“Here they are!” Asriel beamed as he pulled two coloring books out of his toy chest at the foot of his bed. He gently placed them on the floor and continued to dig, “Now to find the crayons or colored pencils.”  
Chara mused, “Do you need help?”  
Asriel grunted, “No, I can find them.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “You sure? You almost look like you’re going to fall in.”  
Asriel continued to dig down, “I’m not gonna fa-u’wah!”  
Asriel’s feet flew into the air as the toys in the chest clattered. Chara tried to stifle a chuckle as their new sibling’s feet flung wildly in the air, “Told you.”  
Asriel pouted, “You’re mean. Help me!”  
Chara approached the toy chest, “When you stop swinging your legs.”  
Asriel complied and felt Chara grab their legs and pulled him out of the toy chest. Asriel huffed and dusted himself off, but beamed while holding a box of crayons, “Got ‘em!”  
Chara gave a half smile as they picked up the coloring books, “So you did.”

Chara turned and walked out of the room as Asriel puffed his cheeks and spoke, “At least I found them without getting hurt!”  
Chara looked back at Asriel, “Did you get hurt before?”  
Asriel blushed through his fur, “Well… yes…”  
“Really little?”  
Asriel nodded, “Yeah, I did a lot of dumb things when I was smaller.”  
Chara put the coloring books on the floor near the fireplace, currently not aflame. Asriel frowned, “We can use the table.”  
Chara looked over towards the table, “Oh. I suppose we can.”  
Asriel stood next to Chara, “Did you want to sit down here?”  
Chara frowned, “No… I’m just… used to it.”  
Asriel was silent for a moment before walking over to Asgore’s chair at the table. He put the crayons on the table and grabbed the chair before moving it next to his, “There!”  
He offered his hand to Chara, “C’mon. It should be more comfortable than on the floor.”  
Chara took his hand and stood before crouching down again to get the coloring books. Chara brought them over to the table and sat down in Asgore’s moved seat as Asriel moved the crayons over to the center of them. They each chose a coloring book and found that most of the pages were blank. Chara raised their eyebrow, “I thought you said these were coloring books.”  
Asriel perked his head to the side, “They are… but I guess they’re also drawing books.”  
Chara flipped to an undone coloring activity, “Maybe I’ll just do a coloring activity.”  
Asriel smiled, “I’m going to draw something!”

The two sat happily in their individual activities, Chara giving a calm smile while Asriel smiled and stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth, extremely focused on his task. After a few minutes, Chara looked over at Asriel’s drawing, “What are you drawing?”  
Their eyes widened, Asriel’s paper had been overtaken by a navy blue with dots of white. Asriel noticed Chara’s gaze and smiled, “Do you like it? It’s… nothing close to the real thing.”  
Chara spoke, “I didn’t think you’d know what that’d look like.”  
Asriel frowned, “I don’t…”  
He quickly smiled, “But… there’s something close to it in the underground.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Really?”  
Asriel nodded, “Yeah! We can see it tomorrow if you want!”  
Chara smiled, “Yes. I think… I would like that.”  
Asriel smiled then leaned over to Chara’s lineart, “What’d you- wow!“  
Chara had chosen a difficult activity, reminiscent of an old painting. Though only half colored, Asriel marveled at it, “That’s so cool!”  
Chara blushed through their natural blush, “The one who drew the lines really did most of the work.”  
Asriel giggled, “But you made it really good!”  
“How?”  
“Color makes a lot of things better.”  
Chara was silent for a moment, “I suppose so.”  
Asriel smiled, “C’mon! Let’s finish these drawings before mom get’s back!”  
Chara grabbed a different color crayon and nodded silently before continuing their coloring.

————————————————————————————-

As it just passed noon, Toriel entered through the door. She grunted as she dragged something behind her, causing Asriel to perk up, “Mom’s home!”  
Chara froze for a moment, their eyes twitching slightly. They then looked over towards the door and gave a sigh of relief as they saw Toriel pulling a bed inside. A chair lay on top of it, along with a large sack. She gave a sigh, “Hello there, my children. Would you two be so kind as to grab the sack and the chair off of the bed?”  
Asirel nodded, “Sure mom!”  
Asriel looked back at Chara to see they were still hard at work finishing their coloring. Asriel smiled calmly, “Chara?”  
Chara perked up, “Oh, y-yes!”  
Chara put the crayon down and got down from their chair. Toriel gave a loving smile, “What have you two been doing?”  
Asriel beamed, “I showed Chara the Last Corridor! Then we came back home and colored and drew!”  
Toriel perked up in interest, “Oh? Well, once I put Chara’s bed in place, I would like to see what you two created.”

She turned towards Chara as the two children approached, “Speaking of which, Chara, did you give any thought to which room you would like to sleep in?”  
Chara scratched their left cheek, “No… I did not.”  
Asriel reached towards the sack, “What about my room? There’s more than enough space in there.”  
Toriel kneeled down towards Asriel, “Are you sure, Asriel?”  
Asriel smiled as he grabbed the sack, “I’ll be ok, mom. Really.”  
Toriel seemed unsure, “Well…”  
She looked at Chara, “Would that be alright with you?”  
Chara gave a half smile, “That will be fine.”  
Toriel stood and smiled, “Very well. However, Asriel, if you feel a hint of doubt that you could control yourself, come find either your father or myself right away.”  
Asriel nodded and started to drag the sack while Chara was dragging the chair towards the table, “Whoa, it’s really heavy this time! Was there a snail sale today?”  
Toriel spoke, “Actually, in addition to snails I found some ingredients I thought Chara would like.”  
Chara stopped dragging the chair, nearly to the table, “Like what?”  
Toriel paused, trying to remember everything for a moment, “Well, I bought some cheese, some ingredients for pasta, among other things.”  
Chara pushed the chair into place, cautiously raising an eyebrow, “Like?”  
Toriel smiled, “You will just have to see for yourself.”

Chara kept their cautious gaze, which shifted to the sack that Asriel was struggling with. They immediately went over and help Asriel carry the sack into the kitchen. Toriel called to them, “Just leave it in the kitchen! I’ll sort it all in a minute!”  
Chara and Asriel put the sack down in front of the fridge with a sigh of relief. Chara then quickly opened the sack and saw the large array of ingredients. On a large bed of snails were a large array of fruits and vegetables, a couple of spices, some homemade cheese, flour, more butterscotch, and cinnamon. Chara stood there, their face hanging over the open bag for a moment before Asriel walked over and took a look, “Wow! So there are some monsters trying other kinds of foods!”  
Chara spoke in slight awe, “I’m amazed at the variety.”  
Asriel closed the sack, “You’re so lucky you can eat so many things!”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “She could always work snails into what she makes. It doesn’t always have to be snail pie.”  
Asriel beamed, a wide, open grin slowly appearing. He rushed off into the living room, “Mom! Mom!”  
Chara calmly walked after them, hearing Toriel speak, “What is it, Asriel?”  
Asriel ran into his room, seeing Toriel nearly done putting Chara’s bed into place. He shook, practically vibrating in anticipation, “Chara had a great idea! We don’t always have to have snail pie or boiled snails! You can work them into the recipes you make for Chara so we all can enjoy them!”  
Toriel smiled, “I was planning to do that as a surprise-”  
Asriel jumped and bleated in joy, causing Chara to stifle a laugh from the doorway in response. Asriel saw Chara’s laugh and blushed, slowing his jumps. He curled inward slightly and fiddled with his hands, a small sigh escaping his form. Toriel finished pushing the bed into place against the far wall, “There we are. Now for the sheets.”  
Toriel looked around the room mildly, “Oh dear, I forgot to buy sheets for Chara’s bed. The spare sheets for Asriel’s bed will have to do for now.”  
Toriel quickly exited Asriel’s room and rushed down the hall towards a closet at the very end of the hall on the right side. She quickly retrieved the sheets and made the bed in a few minutes. Once done, she turned to her children, “There we are.”

She put her hands into her lap, still standing, “Now, you two said you wanted to show me your drawings?”  
Asriel nodded and motioned for Toriel to follow, “On the table!”  
Chara and Asriel calmly led Toriel back into the living room and showed the work they did for the morning. Toriel smiled, “My, both of these are lovely! It’s always a delight to see the star-like lights in Waterfall, and what wonderful coloring you’ve done, Chara.”  
Asriel beamed, “Thanks mom!”  
Chara didn’t say anything, blushing slightly. Toriel gently petted Asriel and Chara’s heads, “I’ll get some pie for your lunch. I’m sure you two are quite hungry.”  
Toriel walked into the kitchen and retrieved a slice of snail pie for Asriel and a slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie for Chara, “It’ll take just a moment to heat them up.”  
Asriel grabbed his drawing and walked into the kitchen, “Hey mom? Do we still have the magnets?”  
Toriel held one of the pie slices on a plate with one hand and used her other hand to create flames and reheat the pie slice, “For the fridge? I’m not sure, check the drawer closest to you.”  
Asriel dug through the drawer and found two, “Ah! I found one for your drawing too, Chara!”  
Chara walked into the kitchen with their drawing, “Why are you putting it on the fridge?”  
Asriel quickly put both drawings on the fridge, “So everyone can see them.”  
Chara looked at the drawings, uncertainty in their gaze “I see…”  
Toriel smiled and lowered the plate of pie she was holding near Chara, “Here, Chara, I finished reheating your piece.”  
Chara took the plate and quickly grabbed a fork with a small smile, “Th-thank you…”  
Toriel smiled back, “You’re welcome.”

Soon, Asriel’s piece of pie was reheated, and Toriel slowly sorted the new food in the kitchen as her children ate their lunch. Once she was done, Toriel walked out of the kitchen, “Asriel, it’s time for our nap.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Nap?”  
Asriel yawned, “Yeah…”  
Toriel approached Chara, “We have to keep up our energy since we don’t technically eat properly. Snails can only do so much.”  
Asriel yawned, “What about Chara?”  
Chara gave a very subtle smirk, “I suppose I could nap as well.”  
The three started to walk towards their rooms as Toriel spoke, “Very well, but if you change your mind, please don’t leave the house. I hope I do not need to remind you how dangerous it is.”  
Chara’s expression normalized, “M-hm.”  
Toriel gently tucked Chara and Asriel into bed before yawning herself, “Have a good nap, my children.”  
Asriel adjusted himself and mumbled, “See you soon, mom, Chara.”  
Chara said nothing, as they got comfy. Toriel smiled and shut off the light before closing the door, washing the room in a red nightlight.


	6. Old Wounds

Chara had intended to sneak out during the nap, but as they settled on their new bed, they felt themselves drift off to sleep. Colors swam before their mind before they coalesced into a dark, plain room. Their eyes fluttered open, now fully aware of a harsh knocking on their door. After a few knocks, a feminine voice called through the door in an equally harsh tone, “Chara! You better be getting ready in there!”  
Chara stiffened, quickly sitting up in bed, they called out, “Yes, ma’am!”  
The voice seemed pleased, “Good. You have ten minutes to be downstairs.”  
Footsteps echoed beyond the door, Chara’s shoulders relaxing with each step heard. They gave out a sigh of relief and carefully got out of bed, feeling a small pain in their back. Their hand immediately wandered to it, trying to rub it away, but it only agitated it slightly. They tensed slightly with the pain but endured it as they stood and walked through the darkness towards a light switch. In an instant, the room illuminated to reveal blank beige walls and a sliding door closet with a mirror on the doors. Chara opened the door to a large array of clothes, arranged from casual to black-tie. Chara chose a gender-neutral suit on the formal end of the closet, quickly and carefully putting it on and straightening it as best they could. Once changed, Chara immediately dashed out the door and ran down the stairs in front of them. The door was immediately in front of them, but Chara knew they couldn’t leave yet. They heard the same voice speak calmly, “Good, you chose well this time.”

To their left a woman stood, tall in stature and skinny to a near unhealthy degree. Her black hair was tied up in a designer bun and adorned with a simple faux-jeweled hair trinket. Her skin was a light peach color, contrasting to her green eyes. She wore a studded silver dress that went to her knees then trailed behind her to just above her ankles. Her outfit was complete with simple but elegant strap high-heeled shoes. Chara immediately curled in slightly upon hearing the woman’s voice, “Th-thank you, mom.”  
The woman kneeled down and fixed Chara’s outfit slightly, “Remember, stay quiet.”  
“Yes, mom.”  
Chara’s mother then quickly pulled something from her small, silver purse, “And wear these.”  
Chara was given a small case and frowned, “But they itch-“  
The mother’s tone became strict, “Do not argue with me, Chara. Put. Them. On. Now.”  
Chara frowned, “Yes, mom.”  
Chara walked to a downstairs mirror and opened the case to reveal contact lenses. Chara took a deep breath before they started to apply them. After a couple of blinks, adjusting the contacts, Chara opened their eyes to see they were no longer crimson. Their eyes were now brown. Their gaze didn’t stay on their eyes, quickly turning away from the mirror. They turned towards their mother, who now seemed calmer, “There we go. You’re very good, my child.”  
Chara simply nodded as they once again approached their mother, “Um… how long is this one?”  
“Just a couple of hours. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to get plenty of sleep before school tomorrow if you go to sleep immediately after.”

The conversation faded, as the world once again shifted. New colors formed around Chara, along with the sounds of laughter. Before they knew it, they were in a large meeting hall, tables decorated with white covers filled with many appetizers. A stage slowly formed near the back of the room, holding a microphone and a set of objects on numbered stands. Chara sat at one of the tables near the front, staying quiet while their mother was talking to some finely dressed people. The words were muddied, but Chara continued to listen. After what seemed like hours, Chara heard something being said and had to respond. As they spoke, the world around them rang silent. They could only hear the ringing in their ears as they spoke, attention fully directed at the one they were responding to. Once Chara spoke, the colors of the room started to darken. Mist started to form, and their mother looked right at them. Her eyes focused, anger and madness rolled into one gaze as her left eye twitched slightly. Though it only held for a second, and it seemed the mother laughed it off. Chara only felt a sense of unending dread.

They immediately stood up, their world shifting back to their house. Chara slammed the door, locking it behind them, and ran to their left through the living room into the kitchen. They ran into a lower cabinet and closed it, heavily panting. After only a couple seconds, they heard a sickeningly sweet voice ring out, “Chara~ Honey~ Mom needs to talk to you!~”  
Chara covered their mouth, trying to hide their panting. They started to shake as they heard their mom’s high heels clink against the tile flooring of the kitchen, “Chara~ I only want to talk. I promise I won’t hit you~ I’m not those mean bullies at school; come on out, my dear child.”  
Chara closed their eyes and shook even more, curling into a ball, letting their only senses be hearing. Chara then heard their cabinet open and gasped before feeling two hands drag them out. Chara instinctually screamed, kicking and thrashing to get away. They felt a heavy impact on their chest, leaving them breathless and no longer thrashing. Chara rolled onto their stomach and coughed heavily. Through their coughing they heard their mother speak, “You just had to speak. I’d expect that kind of embarrassment from your father, but you? You’re supposed to be my perfect little angel. Why couldn’t you do that, just for mommy?”  
Chara felt their hair being pulled, forcing them to stand up and let out a loud whimper before their mother continued, “I do everything for you, so why couldn’t you do one thing for me, hmm?”  
Chara continued to whimper.  
“Answer me~”  
Chara did not. They continued to pant and whimper.  
“ANSWER ME YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT!”  
Chara was thrown back first against the cabinet. Chara lost all their air and felt their back even more agitated then before. Chara screamed out and continued to scream as they felt a barrage of punches, kicks, and slaps all across their form. Eventually, Chara was on their feet, their vision blurred, and their back against the countertop. Their mother approached, her expression hidden by the darkness. She spoke, “Chara, dear, just say you’re sorry and mommy won’t hurt you.”  
Chara started to hyperventilate, their arms back on the counter behind them. As their mother took a step, Chara sank into the cabinets even more and their arms trailed back. Their right hand found something in the darkness and grasped it. Chara spoke, “Please…”  
“Yes, my child?”  
“Please.”  
Another step.  
“Stop.”  
Another step.  
“Stop.”  
One last step, their mother now leaning down towards them.  
“STOP!”

Chara screeched and lunged forward with the object in hand, their mind consumed by fear. They swung the object downwards and it landed on the right side of their mother’s head. Their mother stood for a moment before she fell on her knees, then limply fell backwards. Chara continued to hyperventilate, trying to calm down. A smile cracked on their face along with relief. But that peace lasted only a moment as they were finally able to take the scene in; thanks to a flash of lightning. Crimson poured from their mother’s head, wetting her hair and eventually her dress. The object that they had picked up was a large chef’s knife. The knife had been lodged in her skull, just above her right eye. Chara’s breathing turned heavy, they could feel their eyes widen and their heart race. Upon the next flash of lightning, Chara screamed louder than they ever thought possible.

——————————————————————————-

Chara screamed and thrashed, feeling a tightness around them. Voices started to fade in, calling their name. They felt some hands try to stop them from thrashing, but it only made it worse, Chara screams continued before they heard a voice call out, “Open your eyes!”  
Chara complied and stopped screaming, hyperventilating instead. They held themselves, shaking and sweating before their vision focused. They were in their new room in the underground, the door opened wide. Next to them were two worried figures; Toriel sitting beside them on the bed and Asriel a few paces from them. Toriel spoke through a sigh, “Thank goodness Asriel woke me. Are you alright, Chara?”  
Chara didn’t respond at first, “I… I fell… into the underground.”  
“Yes.”  
“And… I just had a nightmare.”  
“Yes.”  
Asriel approached, fiddling with their hands, “I heard you groan and whimper, when I was waking mom up, we heard you scream.”  
Tears leaked from Chara’s eyes before Chara broke into light sobs. Toriel went to hug them before Chara gasped at the contact. Toriel pulled away, “I see, it was… that kind of dream.”

Chara’s eyes immediately shot open and they covered their mouth. They threw off the covers and started to run. Toriel called out, “Head for the kitchen! The sink!”  
Asirel and Toriel followed Chara into the kitchen, where Chara pulled themselves up to the sink and retched. Toriel plugged Asriel’s ears in time and turned him away. Once Chara was finished, they panted, turning the water on. They took a large spit take, doing it multiple times to be rid of the taste. Toriel calmly approached Chara, “I’m going to rub your back now, is that ok?”  
Chara nodded, their panting slowing. Toriel walked up next to Chara and patted and rubbed their back, “It’s going to be ok. It was just a bad dream.”  
Asriel approached Chara, “You’re safe here with us, remember?”  
Chara gave a final sigh, no longer shaking, “Yes…”  
Toriel gently grasped Chara’s hand, “Let us go into the living room and relax.”  
Chara nodded and slowly walked into the living room. Toriel approached the fireplace and lit it, giving the room a pleasant glow, “There we are.”  
She motioned towards her chair, “Why don’t you sit in my chair? I’ll even grab a book for you.”  
“Sure.” Chara climbed onto the chair as Toriel approached the bookshelf. Toriel scratched her chin, “How about… how about a book on snail facts?”  
Asriel snickered, “I knew you’d pick that one, mom.”  
Chara lightly bit their upper lip before responding, “Okay.”  
Toriel gently took the book off the shelf and handed it to Chara, “Would you like me to read it? Or would you be more comfortable reading it yourself?”  
Chara was silent for a few moments, their expression still weary. Chara then lifted the book back towards Toriel, “Could you… read it?”  
Toriel accepted the book and sat on her knees and feet, “Of course, Chara.”

————————————————————————————

Sliding doors couldn’t open fast enough as the Royal Scientist dashed through the half-opened elevator doors. He ran down the hall, interns quickly dodging out of the way of their boss. Once Gaster rounded a few corners, he slammed the door of a small room open. The back of the small room was a large machine with many monitors and radar equipment, only a quarter of them giving any readings while the rest were either blank or displaying ‘no signal’. Three smaller monsters were rushing throughout the room, collecting pieces of paper and trying to examine or correct the situation. Once the door was slammed open, they stopped, one of them falling over and sending an armful of papers flying against the right wall of the room. Gaster stood tall, looking down on the smaller monsters with a frown. The two standing monsters quickly pointed towards the monster slowly recovering from their fall. Gaster’s eyes shifted towards this monster and he took a few steps towards them. The monster whimpered, “I-I didn’t mean it! I-I swear! L-look! I saved the data! All of it, I swear!”  
The monster quickly tried to gather up the now scattered papers, fully aware of Gaster towering over them. Gaster closed his eyes then quickly shot them open, his eyes now glowing different colors; his left eye blue and his right eye orange. Gaster lifted his left arm, and the fumbling monster was suddenly lifted into the air. They shook, dropping the papers once again, “P-please, sir! I promise I won’t do it again! I’ll fix it! Please don’t kill me!”  
Gaster spoke, his tone low, “Do you have any idea how hard it is to find parts for these machines?”  
The monster continued to whimper, “Y-yes! But I can find them! I will find them!”  
Gaster put his left arm down, positioning his arms behind his back and his eyes returned to white. The monster immediately fell back onto the floor and once again gathered up the scattered paper. They handed the papers to Gaster and stood, fidgeting with their hands. Gaster looked down at the papers for a few seconds before scolding the monster, “You have twenty-four hours.”  
“Yes, sir!” The monster dashed out the door without another word. The two other monsters in the room gave a sigh of relief before Gaster shot a glare at them, “Damage report. Now.”  
One of the monsters nodded, “Y-yes! It only looks like the hub was damaged, I don’t think any cameras would have been affected, but I can personally check them. The damage seems to be centered on the actual viewing and not the feed itself. The displays being cut off but the cameras are still recording.”  
Gaster’s tone lighten to a more professional tone, “I see. Continue the diagnosis and send someone to check the cameras set up thus far. I will see that this data is fully recorded.”  
Both monsters nodded and responded, “Yes, sir!”

One monster exited the room much calmer than his companion, while the other continued to feverishly assess the damage. Gaster also exited the room and calmly walked to his main office deep within the lab. He closed the door and set the stack of papers on his desk, which he soon sat at. He sighed, “I suppose I will have to postpone my meeting with Asgore as well.”  
Gaster started to examine the papers, but before long a figure appeared in front of his desk. Gaster didn’t look up from his papers, “I take it the expansion to Snowdin is finished?”  
The figure spoke, their voice not as deep as Gaster’s, “Yep. The rest of the team is on their way back.”  
“Good”  
“What about you? I thought you were going to your special thinking place before you met with the king.”  
“One of the interns damaged the camera system. I had to come back. I’ll postpone our meeting.” He gives a sigh, “We cannot risk such damage in such an early stage and yet…”  
Gaster lightly threw down the papers in frustration, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his forehead with his thumb and index finger, “Things are getting worse down here. How was it in Snowdin?”  
“Not nearly as bad as the ruins of Home.”  
“That’s to be expected, Home is so isolated, so far from where we’ve all moved to.”  
“There are rumors of monsters dusting each other there.”  
Gaster sat up, finally looking at the figure, “Then it looks like I’ve won our bet.”  
The figure laughed through his pointed teeth. He was a skeleton, but much shorter than Gaster. His own eye sockets were undamaged and larger than Gaster’s. He wore a buttoned-up lab coat, his skeletal hands relaxing in the side pockets. This smaller skeleton gave out a small, mirthless chuckle, “I couldn’t have cared less about that bet.”  
Gaster cracked a smile, his gaze impish, “Don’t get overexcited, I expect you to have some self-restraint.”  
The small skeleton shrugged, “Yeah, that’s why we have the interns after all.”  
Gaster leaned forward in his chair, his elbows resting upon his desk and his chin upon his wrists, “Before we discuss any further. There is something I don’t want leaving this room.”  
The smaller skeleton snorted, “What could possibly have stirred you up.”  
“This is serious, Sans.”  
“Alright, alright. What is it?”  
“We have a visitor.”  
Sans didn’t seem affected by Gaster’s words, “A visitor? Some poor monster’d be a fool to-“  
“No, Sans, I mean for the underground.”

The room became deafeningly silent, Sans’s white dots disappearing from his eye sockets, “You gotta be jerkying me.”  
“You know I don’t joke like this.”  
Sans raised his voice slightly, “Then where is it? Why isn’t it here? I thought you’d stop at nothing-“  
“Sans!”  
Sans immediately became silent, allowing Gaster to speak, “I thought it was just another monster… but… the feeling… not to mention the prince’s behavior-“  
Sans’s left eye glowed blue, “The prince knows?!”  
“Sans! Do not interrupt me again.”  
Sans fell silent, his eye sockets returning to an abyss as Gaster continued, “I met the prince in the Last Corridor. He was hiding behind a pillar until I approached. He was closed in on himself, obviously nervous. I thought he was trying to sneak into one of his father’s meetings, but I caught it. His eyes glimpsed towards the pillar he hid behind. I didn’t have time to confirm this because of one of our interns, but from the way he was acting, I can only conclude he was hiding a human.”

Sans bellowed over in laughter, his left hand clutching his skull, “A human, in the underground! We actually have some fresh meat after all this time!”  
Gaster frowned, “No.”  
Sans’s eye sockets once again went blank and his left arm limped, “No? What do you mean no!?”  
Gaster stood, “We don’t know when and if a human could fall again, we have to approach this carefully.”  
Sans frowned, “So what are you going to do then?”  
Gaster’s hands touched the other’s fingertips before clasping down on them, “If Prince Dreemurr is hiding the human, it’s safe to assume that the king knows about it as well. If he does, then he’ll act like he doesn’t. I will have to show proof.”  
“So that’s why you’re mad about the camera system.”  
“We will have to catch the human on camera, and bring Asgore that proof.”  
“You really think the king’s gonna just hand the human over with a picture?”  
“No, and that will be the most difficult depending upon how he views this human. If the prince is protecting the human, it would be reasonable to assume they’ve adopted it.”  
Sans snickered, “Seriously? They’re playing with their food?”  
Gaster gave out a groan, “In any case. The proof comes first.”  
Sans shrugs, “Alright. Then I’ll supervise the repairs.”  
Sans turned around, but before he could move one inch, Gaster spoke firmly, “Sans. You are not to engage the human or harm it. Observe if you must but our first priority is to convince the king to give us the human willingly. Any other way will result in chaos. Am I clear?”  
Sans was silent for a few moments before turning back towards Gaster with his left eye glowing and a large smile, “Crystal.”  
Sans then disappeared from the room, leaving Gaster to sigh before going through the papers on his desk.


	7. Of Talks and Tea

Asgore eventually returned home, giving a weary sigh as he climbed the stairs, his armor clanking with every step. Asriel called out in joy, “Dad’s home!”  
Asriel ran over to Asgore and jumped, Asgore catching him and giving a bear hug, “Haha! Asriel!”  
Toriel stood from her bended-knee position, turning towards Asgore as he walked into the living room carrying Asriel, “Welcome home, Fluffybuns.”  
Asgore gently put Asriel down before walking over to Toriel and giving her a light nose nuzzle, “Thank you, Tori.”  
Asgore looked over to Chara, whom seemed more relaxed, “How was your day, Chara?”  
Chara looked down, saying nothing. Toriel frowned, “They had a nightmare.”  
Asgore frowned and approached Chara, “Would you like to talk-“  
“No.” Chara swiftly cut Asgore off, “I just needed some time. I’m… feeling better now.”  
Asgore nodded, “I see.”  
He stood tall, “I need to take my armor off, but I will also prepare a pot of chamomile tea, to help you relax.”  
Toriel smiled, “That sounds lovely. I’ll get the water ready while you change.”  
Toriel and Asgore calmly walked to opposite ends of the house, leaving the children in the living room. Asriel climbed up on Toriel’s chair next to Chara, sitting on the edge, “You sure-“  
“If you all keep mentioning it, it will get worse.” Chara hissed through their teeth. Asriel frowned, “Ok, but talking about stuff does help.”  
Chara said nothing, their gaze now towards the fireplace. After a couple moments, Asriel spoke again, this time in a whisper, “Did you still want to see where you fell tomorrow?”  
Chara turned their head towards Asriel again, their gaze much gentler than before, “Yes.”  
Asriel nodded, “Okay. We’ll talk about it a little later.”

Chara nodded before Toriel walked back into the room for a second, “I will have to get started on dinner as well, unless you want pie tonight, Asriel.”  
Asriel smiled, “Whatever you make, mom! I’m sure it’ll be delicious!”  
Toriel scratched her chin, frowning, “I don’t think I’ll have enough time to make pasta.”  
She looked towards Chara, “Ah, but perhaps something lighter tonight,”  
Chara nodded, “I don’t think I could eat much tonight.”  
Toriel smiled, “A nice, balanced salad it is then.”  
Asriel spoke up, “What about us? I thought you were going to try to mix snails into what you made Chara tonight.”  
Toriel’s smile descended slightly, “That was before the nightmare, but don’t worry Asirel, I will be sure to try tomorrow night.”  
Asriel frowned for a second but then smiled, “Ok!”  
Toriel walked into the kitchen, “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”  
Asriel jumped down from the chair, “I’ll set the table!”  
He looked up at Chara with a smile, “You can just sit down at the table and relax.”  
Chara’s gaze followed Asriel until he went into the kitchen. They then sighed and sat at the table in their usual chair. To their left, they saw Asgore come into the room in shorts and a slightly worn pink sweater, “Ah, much better.”  
Chara looked down at the table, not responding to Asgore as he approached. Asgore did nothing but lightly pat Chara’s shoulder and smile, staying for a moment before walking into the kitchen. At the same time, Asriel walked out with the forks and plates. He calmly set the table then sat next to Chara, noticing their apathetic expression. He said nothing, knowing the reaction Chara had before, but leaned over and hugged them. Chara’s eyes shot up in shock, but didn’t push Asriel away. They calmed down, closing their eyes and slowly accepting the hug. After a few moments, Asriel pulled away and smiled, Chara lightly mirrored the smile in response.

Asgore came out of the kitchen with a tray with four teacups and a large china teapot. The teapot was simple, mostly white with lightly colored flowers decorating the bottom half. He placed this tray on the table and started to pour the chamomile tea and distribute the cups. Chara blew on the tea to cool it down slightly before sipping it. They smiled lightly, taking in the sweet, flowery tea. Asgore sat down again with his cup of tea, “I’m glad to see you enjoy it, Chara. Perhaps after dinner, we could go to the garden and pick some more flowers for tea?”  
Chara lightly put their cup down, “Sure.”  
Toriel walked into the room, carrying a tray with three pieces of snail pie and a bowl of a fruit and vegetable salad topped with some shredded cheese. She distributed the food and sat down, “I hope this helps.”  
Chara slowly ate the salad, “We’ll have to see.”  
Toriel nodded, “Do not hesitate if you feel queasy again.”

Chara nodded and continued to eat silently. Asgore quickly spoke, trying to break the tension, “I saw those drawings you two did today on the fridge; they were lovely.”  
Asriel beamed, “Thanks, dad!”  
Chara blushed lightly, barely visible through their natural blush. Toriel nodded, “They worked hard on them after visiting the Last Corridor.”  
Asgore raised an eyebrow, “Oh? When did you visit the Last Corridor? Did you enjoy the murals and get inspired?”  
Asriel jumped slightly, nervousness in his gaze, “Ehehe… a little after you and mom left.”  
Asgore frowned, “That was very risky, timing it so close to the start of my meeting with the Royal Guard. However, most of the guard were waiting past the corridor by the time I arrived, so I suppose it worked out.”  
Toriel frowned, “Yes, I would like you two to be more careful. Things can only work out for so long.”  
Toriel looked to Asgore, “But, how did the meeting go?”  
Asgore nodded, his expression more serious, “Things are steadying declining, as usual. I had hoped to hear some good news from Dr. Gaster, but he called and said he had to cancel.”  
Chara stopped themselves from taking their next bite, only raising an eyebrow, “Why?”  
Asgore scratched his beard, “He said some machine was damaged by an intern and that he had to make sure everything was alright.”  
Toriel sounded slightly worried, “Oh dear, does it have anything to do with The Core?”  
Asgore shook his head, “No, Dr. Gaster assured me it was from a more personal project.”  
Asgore took another bite of pie before continuing, “However, he also told me the expansion of The Core’s power to Snowdin was successful.”  
Toriel sighed in relief, “That’s wonderful to hear.”

Asriel smiled, “Does that mean we can visit Snowdin more often?”  
Toriel frowned, “Yes, but… we have to figure out something for Chara…”  
Chara spoke quietly, “We could pretend I’m a monster.”  
The Dreemurrs looked over at Chara, whom was sipping a cup of tea. They placed the cup down gently as Asriel spoke, “Would that really work?!”  
Asgore and Toriel both looked increasingly nervous, Toriel then spoke after a small awkward silence, “Well, it could work for some monsters. But there are those who have a heightened sense of smell. They would know immediately because some remember the scent of humans.”  
Asriel gasped, “The dump!”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “What?”  
Asriel quickly motioned his left arm towards Chara excitedly, “We can say Chara’s clothes come from the dump and that’s why they smell like a human!”  
Toriel raised an eyebrow, still skeptical, “Well, it is true many monsters still scavenge the dump in Waterfall for all sorts of things.”

She blinked, “Oh, that reminds me, your clothes need to be washed, Chara. Asriel, do you think you could give them a spare set of pajamas tonight so that I may wash their clothes?”  
Asriel nodded and put his fork down on his now empty plate, “I can go get them now!”  
Asriel rushed to Chara and Asriel’s room. Toriel sighed, “I don’t know if this is going to work, Chara.”  
Asgore frowned, “I have the same fear.”  
Chara spoke, “Is there anything else we could do?”  
Asgore spoke, “Well… I suppose not.”  
Toriel sighed, “This plan isn’t whether or not it’s going to work, it’s how long it’s going to work. That is what I fear.”  
Chara smiled, “It’ll be fine. If it gets too dangerous… well, you two did say we would always have the castle.”  
Asriel ran back into the living room with star-patterned pajamas of white and blue, “Here!”  
Chara took the pajamas before Toriel sighed, “You’re going to want to explore the underground no matter what we say. Somehow I know this. If this plan could make it a little safer for you to see the underground at least once… then we could try.”  
Asriel beamed, “Thanks mom, and don’t worry, if any monster sees through it, we’ll come back home.”  
Toriel smiled lightly, “Thank you.”  
Chara nodded, “No, th-thank you…”

—————————————————————————

Chara exited their and Asriel’s room, now dressed in the pajamas Asriel gave them. They had managed to find some socks, so their feet weren’t completely bare. Chara held their previous clothes, all jumbled together in their arms. Toriel took the clothes from Chara, “Don’t worry, they’ll be dry tomorrow for you to wear.”  
Chara nodded and walked up to Asgore and Asriel, whom were waiting at the stairs holding baskets. Asgore smiled, giving a basket to Chara, “I hope you like the garden, it’s a passion project of mine.”  
Asriel nodded, “Chara did like it.”  
Asgore looked down at Asriel, “Ah, you showed it to them? Wonderful!”  
Toriel smiled at her family, “Have fun in the garden. I will join you if I have the time.”  
Asriel nodded, “See you soon, mom!”

Without another word, Asgore led Asriel and Chara to the garden. Chara noticed that during the day, small sunbeams covered the garden. Chara looked up at Asgore, “How is it possible for the sun to shine here?”  
Asgore placed his basket down near the edge of the garden, “When the castle was being constructed, I found this area. It naturally had small holes to the surface, and there were small plants already growing here. It became the most natural place to start a garden.”  
Asriel giggled, “If dad could do it, he’d have his throne room filled with flowers!”  
Asgore smiled and started picking certain flowers, “Indeed, however, I cannot find any flowers that could survive without much sunlight.”  
Chara gave a half smile, “The golden flowers I mentioned could; they can survive harsh places.”  
Asgore gave a small laugh, “Every time you mention those golden flowers, makes me wish they were down here more and more.”

Chara kneeled down to examine the flowers, “Are all of these for tea?”  
Asgore lightly picked some lavender, “Not all of them, but many of the flowers here can be used for tea. Lavender, marigold, chamomile; I have many different flowers. I also have many cooking herbs; rosemary, thyme.”  
He walks over to a corner of the garden and picked little bulbs from the ground, “Even some garlic.”  
Chara nodded, “For the snail pie.”  
“Precisely.” Asgore frowned, “I’m sorry to hear you didn’t like it.”  
Chara lightly started picking some of the herbs, “It was just something I’ve never had before. I did appreciate the garlic and butter.”  
Asgore returned to a smile as he picked a couple more cloves of garlic, “The important thing is that you tried. I suppose the same could be said of exploring the underground.”  
Chara sighed, putting down their basket, “I know what you’re going to say.”  
Asgore stood tall and started to approach Chara, “Then you know I say it out of concern and love; please, be careful out there.”  
Chara frowned and cradled their arms, looking downwards and away from Asgore, “I know.”

Asgore kneeled down, “I would still recommend you stay away from New Home, as the majority of monsters live there.”  
Asriel frowned, coming over with his half-full basket, “But everyone’s nice there.”  
Asgore patted Asriel’s back, “I’m doing this to be safe.”  
Asriel nodded, “Ok, I understand.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Wait, if what we can see from the castle is New Home, then where is Home?”  
Asriel spoke up, “Back near where you fell.”  
Asgore stood, “Oh, you never told me Chara fell near Home.”  
“Yeah, they were past a lot of traps, too.”  
Chara blinked, “Traps?”  
Asgore sighed, “Back when we were in Home, many of us built traps to defend ourselves from human attacks.”  
Asriel beamed, “It’s ok, though! I know how to deactivate a lot of them! Mom taught me!”  
Chara’s eyes narrowed slightly, “I see.”

Asgore picked up his and Chara’s baskets, “Ah, this should be enough for now. We don’t want to pick too much.”  
Asriel nodded, showing his basket, “I got a good variety, right dad?”  
Asgore examined the contents with a smile, “Very good. Oh? I see you found some mint. I’m glad to see it’s finally starting to grow.”  
Asriel jumped in excitement, “Yay! Mint tea is the best!”  
Asgore patted Asriel’s shoulder, “Whoa, careful now,”  
Asriel giggled, “Sorry.”  
Chara gave a smile to Asriel and Asgore, prompting a gasp from Asriel, “Chara! You’re really smiling!”  
Chara blinked, their smile descending, “But… I’ve smiled before.”  
Asriel nodded, “Well, yeah, but… that’s one of the few that looked like you were really happy.”  
Asriel beamed, “Does that mean you trust me?!”  
Chara gave a half smile, “Well, perhaps a little.”  
“Good enough for me!”  
“…”  
Asgore gave Chara’s basket back to them, “I think it’s time we return home.”  
Asriel yawned, “Yep. That sleepy tea is finally kicking in.”  
Chara gave a small chuckle as they began to walk, “It’s called chamomile.”  
Asriel blushed, “Oops, sorry. Hehe.”


	8. The Journey to Home

“I think it suits you.” Toriel patted Chara’s head, which was now covered with a green wool hat, hiding most of their hair. Chara gave a small whine, “Do I have to wear this? Wool itches.”  
Toriel nodded, “I’m sure it won’t be that bad, but if not, we can find a substitute tomorrow.”  
Asgore, dressed in formal robes much like Toriel’s, nodded, “Now, please be safe you two. Asriel, do you have the cell phone?”  
Asriel pulled out an old flip phone from their pocket, “Uh-huh! It’s fully charged too!”  
Toriel smiled, “Make sure to keep it with you, and if you’re visiting Waterfall, keep it in a plastic bag.”  
Asriel put it back and secured it, “I will!”  
Asgore nodded, “If anything goes wrong, make sure you call us or Dr. Gaster.”  
Toriel kneeled down and gave Asriel a kiss on the cheek, “Even if you only suspect you two are no longer safe.”  
Asriel hugged his mother, “Ok.”  
He pulled away and adjusted the backpack on his back, “Thanks for the pie!”  
“Don’t forget to eat lunch,” Toriel then looked over to Chara, “You too. I made sure to pack a slice of butterscotch pie for you.”  
Chara nodded and scratched their head, “Urg, it’s itching already.”  
Asgore nodded, “I’ll look for a new hat for you after our business in New Home is done.”  
Toriel nodded, “We better go.”  
Asgore blinked, “Oh! Is it that late already?!”  
Asriel and Chara snickered as Asgore nearly ran down the stairs. Toriel stood, “I’ll call you when I get home.”  
Asriel calmly waved, “Bye, mom!”  
Toriel gave a small smile in return, “Be safe, you two.”

Toriel and Asgore power walked down the stairs, heading to New Home through the castle. Asriel quickly looked over at Chara and smiled, “You ready? We’re going all the way to the end of Home to where you fell.”  
Chara nodded with a genuine smile, “I’m excited to see the underground.”  
Asriel quickly nodded his head, “Yep! There’s so much to show you! Come on!”  
Asriel rushed out the door, Chara giggled and chased after him, “Asriel, wait!”  
Asriel giggled back, “No way! We’ve got a boat to catch!”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Boat?”

Asriel finally made a stop at a new elevator, one Chara had not seen before, “Yep! It’s the quickest way to get to Home! But, we still have to go through Snowdin after the boat. Mom packed us a couple scarves if we get cold.”  
The elevator dinged and slowly opened. Asriel and Chara stepped inside before the doors closed and the elevator moved. Chara raised an eyebrow, “Wait, you didn’t press any buttons.”  
Asriel nodded, “This elevator only goes between the palace and the Core, we have to use this path if we want to avoid New Home.”  
“Doesn’t that mean we might run into Dr. Gaster again?”  
Asriel lightly shook his head, “Nah, Mr. Gaster’s always in his lab now that the Core is complete. We might see some of his scientists in Snowdin finishing up the expansion, though.”  
As the doors open, Chara spoke, “I see.”  
Asriel rushed out the door into a long hallway, “C’mon! This way!”

Chara chased after Asriel, now seeing the hallway was mechanical in nature. They soon rounded a corner and Asriel stopped again, “We’re at the edge of the Core now!”  
Chara stopped to see a large bridge to their right, white light shining from below. Chara quickly looked away before Asriel spoke, “You have to be careful not to look down.”  
Chara nodded before they turned to Asriel, “So, we’re going through the Core?”  
Asriel shook his head and pointed to the elevator behind him, “Nope, through this.”  
They entered the elevator, once again having no buttons to press to make the elevator run. When the doors opened, the two noticed a couple monsters in lab coats or protective clothing going about their business. They noticed Asriel and Chara, one approaching with a smile, “Prince Dreemurr, hello? Erm… who’s this?”  
Asriel smiled, “This is my friend, Chara.”  
The scientist nodded, “Ah, you finally made a friend. That’s nice. See you later.”  
The scientist then rushed off, leaving Asriel smiling and Chara confused. Chara spoke, “I can’t believe that actually worked.”  
Asriel giggled before calmly leading Chara through the entrance of the Core. Beyond it was a plain meeting area with benches and stoneworks. There was another elevator that monsters gathered around, not paying any mind to Chara or Asriel. Asriel led Chara through the crowded area before entering a mechanical area. Chara began to sweat before looking below, seeing magma far below them. They gave a nervous laugh, “And I thought the Core was bad.”  
Asriel huffed, “Hotland’s not that bad!”  
Chara mused, “I will say the architecture here is interesting.”  
“See? That’s positive! Now c’mon! We’re almost to the boat I mentioned!”  
Chara followed Asriel to another elevator; this time it had buttons to push. Asriel pushed a button labeled ‘L1’ before speaking, “This is the last elevator, I promise.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow while leaning against one of the walls of the elevator, “Why are there so many elevators down here?”  
Asriel shrugged, “Makes travel to other areas easier? I don’t know.”  
Chara rolled their eyes and waited for the elevator to open about a minute later. Asriel led them down the path until they eventually saw a large building to their left. Chara blinked, “What’s that?”  
Asriel spoke plainly, “That’s Mr. Gaster’s lab.”  
Chara’s jaw dropped, “That whole building?!”  
Asriel nodded, “Yeah, I haven’t really been inside, though. Did you want to go in?”  
Chara shook their head, “No, let’s keep going.”  
Asirel nodded, “Yup! We’re almost to the boat!”

The two continued their walk in silence, before coming across a flight of stairs. Chara could hear the sound of water from just beyond and a reflection of water dancing on the ceiling just above the stairs. Chara slowed, taking in the sight, causing Asriel to smile, “It’s pretty, huh?”  
Chara nodded before they calmly walked down the flight of stairs to see a small area of rock next to an underground river. On the wall, a bell could be seen, just low enough for the two of them to reach the rope within the bell. Asriel puffed his cheeks, “Aww, guess we got to ring the bell today.”  
Asriel smiled before ringing the bell. He dusted himself off and smiled, “Don’t worry, they’re always nice.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “They?”  
Before Asriel could speak, a cat-faced boat came out from the left tunnel along the river’s current. On the boat was a tall figure, nearly twice their size, in a heavy robe. None of their features could be seen, not even a peak from the hood of the robe. Asriel waved, “Hi, Riverperson!”  
The figure responded in a distorted voice, “Tra la la. Ah, little Asriel, it is nice to see you again.”  
The Riverperson’s cloak turned towards Chara, “I see your new friend’s injuries have been tended to.”  
Chara closed in on themselves before Asriel patted them and whispered, “Say hi! They’re nice, trust me.”  
Chara nodded before giving a polite smile, “Greetings, erm…. Riverperson, was it?”  
Riverperson nodded, “Yes, that is how you may address me, if you’d like. Now, where would you two like to go? Back to Snowdin, I presume?”  
Asriel nodded, “Yep! We’re going back to Home!”  
“I see, well then I would be happy to take such polite children. Step with care, now.”  
Asriel gently stepped onto the small, skinny boat before aiding Chara with getting on. Asriel immediately sat down after Chara was on, “It’s not bumpy, but I like sitting.”  
Chara stood firm, “I think I’ll stand.”  
The Riverperson looked ahead, “Very well, off to Snowdin.”  
Without even a nudge, the boat started to glide along the river’s current. Chara could barely feel the boat rock, almost unnerved on how smooth the ride was. They spoke, “Riverperson, I thought boats swayed a little.”  
The Riverperson responded but did not look back, “Tra la la, they do indeed, but my magic makes it not so.”  
Chara nodded, “I see.”

The three stood or sat in the dark for a few more minutes before the Riverperson spoke again, “Tra la la, beware of the man who speaks in hands.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Who?”  
Asriel shrugged, “They say things like that all the time. Last week they said that the water was dry.”  
The Riverperson chuckled, “It was dry, but now it is wet. I’m glad someone listens to what I say.”  
Chara approached the Riverperson, “But, who is the man who speaks in hands?”  
“Tra la la, your stop is soon.”  
Asriel stood and looked ahead, “Look! It is!”  
The end of the tunnel could be seen, and cold wind started to pour in. Chara shivered, “Asriel, can I have that scarf now?”  
Asriel nodded and dug through his backpack, grabbing two scarves; a yellow and a multicolored one. Asriel presented them to Chara, “Which one do you want?”  
Chara took the yellow one and carefully wrapped it around their neck while Asriel did the same with the multicolored one. Once the scarves were in place, the boat exited the tunnel to a larger cave with an underground forest coated in snow. Chara smiled as they saw little snowflakes come from the cavern ceiling, so much in awe that they didn’t notice that the boat had stopped. Asriel poked Chara gently, “Chara, we’re here.”

Chara blinked and noticed they were next to a ledge very similar to the one where the Riverperson had picked them up, except the bell was hanging from a tree and there was snow on the ground. Asriel stepped off the boat and reached out to Chara, “Need a hand?”  
Chara nodded and accepted Asriel’s help off the Riverperson’s boat. Asriel turned back to the Riverperson, “Thanks for the ride!”  
Chara smiled and nodded silently before the Riverperson spoke, “Tra la la, it is always nice to ferry such polite children. You two are always welcome to ride in my boat. Until next time.”  
The boat seemed to float above the surface of the water, revealing some small legs and feet that soon dashed on the surface of the water. Chara turned back to Asriel, “So, we’re in Snowdin, right?”  
Asriel nodded, “Yep, but most are still in their homes. They might stay in their homes now that the Core expansion is done.”  
Chara and Asriel started to walk into the small, snow-covered town. Most buildings were being built or being attached to the Core’s system. Many monsters flooded into buildings, giving sighs of relief to the newly gained heat. Chara looked over at Asriel, “Why would monsters want to live in this cold environment without any heat?”  
Asriel shrugged, “Some just decided to stay and put up with it, I don’t understand it either.”  
Chara looked around, “Well… now that I think about it, this is a beautiful place. Maybe, in some way, that is why they stayed.”  
Asriel smiled, “Yeah, that does sound nice.”  
Asriel shivered and tightened his scarf, “But I don’t think I’d stay here forever.”  
Chara shivered, “Me either.”  
Asriel rushed ahead, “We’ve got a while before we make it to one of the entrances to Home, let’s go!”  
Chara chased after them, eager to explore their surroundings even more.

——————————————————————————————-

Chara blinked, gazing at the large door in front of them in awe, “Amazing!”  
The large door that Asriel had led them to stood three times their height. Asriel was leaning down in the snow, messing with the door. He giggled and looked back at Chara, “This is just one of a few doors, but I know how to open this one by heart.”  
Asriel mumbled a little, “Just a little more then….”  
A large click sounded, “There!”  
The doors opened, enough for any monster to be able to open the door. Asriel struggled slightly, but opened the right door. He smiled, “Welcome to Home!”  
Chara and Asriel walked in the doors, seeing near darkness before them. Chara mused, “So, why aren’t these doors always open?”  
Asriel mutter before summoning a small bauble of flame, “Another defense, I think.”  
Chara muttered, “To trap the invading humans, I guess.”  
Asriel chuckled nervously, “I guess so.”  
The two stepped out of the cold and into the long tunnel before hearing the door close behind them. Chara jumped slightly at the sound before taking a deep sigh of relief. Asriel let out a small giggle at Chara’s expense, causing Chara to blush slightly as they continued onwards. They eventually climbed a flight of stairs to see some familiar surroundings. Chara squinted their eyes in the darkness, unsure of what they were seeing before Asriel lit a few torch sconces around the room. It looked exactly like their home. Chara spoke, “How? Is this…“  
Asriel put the backpack down, “Yep, my first home. Most of the furniture and stuff is at New Home, but I still like to come back here and rest.”

Chara walked around as Asriel continued to light more torch sconces. They found that the room that matched Asgore’s was completely empty and damaged. Asriel frowned, “I think some other monster’s been living here.”  
Chara stressed their words, “You think? You mean you haven’t checked?!”  
Asriel shook his head, “I haven’t rested here lately; today’s my third day coming back to Home for months.”  
Chara looked around, dropping their voice to a whisper, “Then we should probably be careful.”  
Asriel nodded, “Let’s go then, if we make it to the traps, we might scare them off.”  
Asriel led Chara out of the house; piles of red leaves were pushed against the house while more fell from the tree a ways from the house. As Asriel lit more torch sconces, Chara noticed the stonework was a different color, a vibrant purple. They also noticed, as they got deeper into the ruins, that some of the torches were already lit. They looked towards Asriel, “It’s ok, some are from me a few days ago.”  
Chara muttered, “And the others are from other monsters.”  
They rounded a corner, and out of the corner of their eye, Chara spotted spider webs. Chara raised an eyebrow, “Or spiders.”  
Asriel smiled, “Ah! I was wondering when we’d come across them!”  
Asriel walked into a small room, slightly dusty with many spider webs and a sign in the center of the room. Asriel walked up to the sign and nodded, “Still the same.”  
Chara approached Asriel, “What are you doing?”  
Asriel put the backpack down and dug out a handful of gold coins, “Getting us something to drink.”  
He walked to two webs, more solid that the others, and gently placed the gold coins in the right web. Immediately, spiders picked up the gold coins and from above, a pitcher filled with yellow liquid gently descended with the help of webbing. Asriel grasped the pitcher and disconnected the webbing, “Thank you!”  
He turned back towards Chara, “Spider Cider is pretty good.”  
He turned back towards the spiders, “Can I have a cap for the pitcher?”  
More webbing descended, bringing with it a matching cap for the pitcher along with a note, “For a valued customer.”  
Asriel smiled as he put the cap on the pitcher, securing the liquid inside, “See you next time! Who knows? Maybe we’ll grab a donut on our way back.”  
Asriel put the pitcher in his backpack before securing it on his back once again, “There we go. We’re almost to where I found you.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow as they started to walk once again, “Shouldn’t we be seeing blood trails soon?”  
Asriel frowned, “Maybe.”

After only a minute, Asriel stopped Chara from walking, “Wait.”  
Chara nodded, “What kind of trap is it?”  
Asriel stepped forward carefully, “If you don’t walk the right path, you fall down.”  
He reached out his hand, “So, hold on and follow right behind me, ok?”  
Chara nodded, grasping Asriel’s hand before they slowly started to walk through the room. Beneath them, loose stones gently clicked, but none of them fell. With a sigh of relief, Asriel and Chara reached the end of the room. Chara spoke out, “How many more traps?”  
Asriel mused, “A couple more, but I think we really only have to go through one. The rest are deactivated right now, or they should be since I had to deactivate a lot of them to get you through here.”  
Asriel summoned his flames once again and gasped, causing Chara to jump, “What is it?!”  
Asriel gulped and pointed ahead of them, “I found one of your blood smears.”  
Chara looked ahead of them with a raised eyebrow then widened their eyes, “Oh no.”  
Before them was a small bloodstain on the floor, most of it partially smeared and some of it missing. Asriel shook, “Someone knows a human’s here, and they know what you taste like.”


	9. Traps and Tears

Asriel continued to shiver, “W-we gotta call mom or dad, o-or Mr. Gaster!”  
Asriel dispelled the flame bauble and started to unharness his backpack before Chara quickly covered his mouth and whispered, “No, they won’t get here in time.”  
“But-“  
“SHHH!” Chara looked around, not seeing much in the darkness, before turning back to Asriel, “If you make that call, whatever is around will hear it. We have to stay quiet, and we have to stay in the dark.”  
Asriel started to sob, instinctually hugging Chara, “I’m scared.”  
Chara took a deep breath before patting Asriel on the back, “I know. Me too.”

Before they pulled away from each other, they heard a low growl from the darkness. Asriel gasped, looking around with panicked eyes. He was about to summon a flame before Chara quickly grabbed his hand. He nodded silently. A raspy voice pierced the darkness, “No need to be scared, I W I L L T A K E C A R E O F Y O U T W O.”

Chara and Asriel desperately looked around, back to back, trying to find the source of the noise. Stomps and clicks echoed through the dark hall, seeming to have no source. After a few seconds, another sound echoed through the darkness from just under them; the sound of a stone being kicked gently. Asriel and Chara nearly gasped, their eyes widening at the sound. The voice chuckled, “There you are.”  
Stomps echoed through the hall, coming from the direction Asriel and Chara were going. Asriel widened his eyes and screamed before summoning a flame and chucking it in the direction of the sound. The flame only appeared for a few moments before colliding with a giant eye. The voice screeched before yelling, “MY EYE!”  
Asriel grabbed Chara’s hand before screaming, “RUN!”

Guided by Asriel’s flames, Chara and Asriel started to head towards the pit trap. The monster behind them quickly shook off the pain and growled before jumping just in front of them on the more solid part of the trap. Asriel and Chara immediately let out a yelp before falling on their backs, as the monster loomed over them, now illuminated by Asriel’s flames. The monster was easily twice as tall, and almost just as wide with its rounder body. On said body was one, giant eye, now bloodshot from Asriel’s attack. Just below was it’s large mouth, teeth sharp and wet with saliva and hints of Chara’s blood. Horns stuck up from the top of the body, initially curved, but fragmenting along the curve many times. From the side, long arms stuck out, jagged bones pierced out of its skin upwards from its elbows. Its hands were small, but claws stuck out from its fingers, easily making up the difference. Its legs were shorter, but the width could easily hold the large body while it’s toenails-turned-claws clicked on the stone below.

The monster gave an impish grin before licking its teeth, cleaning them of Chara’s blood, “I found you, human. First human in so long, now all mine!”  
It leaned forward to grab Chara and Asriel, but the two quickly dodged its grasp. The monster growled and roared before chasing after them, it’s long strides easily catching up. Chara called out to Asriel, “What do we do now?!”  
Asriel panicked, “Me?! I wanted to call for help!”  
“What help could come for us now?!”  
Asriel sobbed through his panic, “I don’t know!”  
Chara ducked under the monster’s arm before speaking again, “We have to think of something! We can’t keep this pace!”  
The monster growled, “THEN LET ME EAT YOU!”

The monster slammed its arms on the ground, causing Asriel and Chara to trip and slid a couple of feet. Darkness once again encompassed the hallway, the trip dissipating Asriel’s flames. The monster chuckled, licking its lips in anticipation as it approached the children. With its claws, it followed along the floor until it felt something. It grabbed it and immediately shoved it in its mouth, without any regard to checking what it is. It spit the object out and spoke in disgust, “Stupid rock!”  
It roared, “Where are you, human?”  
Asriel heard the monster drop to its knees and shuffle on the ground, grunting as it struggled to find its prey. In the midst of the noise, Asriel carefully stood up before looking around, trying to find Chara as well. Suddenly, they felt someone tap them from their side. They patted the figure in return before grasping their hand. The two carefully walked, hand in hand, away from the monster on their tiptoes. They stifled their own breathing as the monster continued its search. After a minute, it started to growl and speak, “WHERE ARE YOU?! GET BACK HERE HUMAN!! Grr RAAAAAARRGGGG!”  
The monster started to charge, prompting Chara and Asriel to run once again. Asriel then gasped and spoke quietly, “Chara, jump! NOW!”  
Chara complied and jumped in tune with Asriel, landing on their knees before rushing once again. Behind them, the two heard a crash and a roar. Asriel giggled, “Good thing I know about the traps!”  
Chara smiled as well, “That was great!”  
Asriel quickly lit a flame and turned to his right, prompting Chara to do the same. Chara panted, “Shouldn’t we… slow down?!”  
Asriel shook his head, “That trap won’t hold it for long, there’s a bigger one just ahead we can use to finally turn back.”  
The two rounded a left corner as Chara spoke, “What is it?!”  
“It’s a large spike trap!” He looked over at Chara, “Do you trust me?”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “What?”  
“Chara, do you trust me?!”  
Chara didn’t answer for a few seconds, “Yes!”  
Asriel nodded, “Then, when we get to this next room, stand where I tell you!”  
Chara nodded, “Ok!”

The two soon entered a room, and Asriel immediately lit a few torch sconces, illuminating the room. The room’s floor held water, laying under a metal platform with wooden entrances to each side of the room. Chara complied with Asriel’s request, being guided to the near middle of the platform, “Is this a big spike trap?”  
Asriel nodded and ducked into the water next to the door they came from. Stomping noises started to sound, and Asriel gasped, “It’s coming!”  
Chara took a deep breath, closing their eyes and opening them again with the sigh. Soon the monster appeared in the doorway of the room, slowing it’s pace until it stood at the edge of the trap. It gave a laugh and licked its lips, “How nice, you give yourself up on a silver platter.”  
It slowly walked towards Chara until it stood in front of Chara, “Now stay still, I may be nice and swallow you whole.”  
Chara bit their lip, and tightened their fists, their eyes widening slowly. They tried to stop the shaking, but it was no use. They started to breathe deeply, but even that didn’t calm them. The monster bared its fangs, now drooling slightly and chuckling, “You’re mine!”  
It lunged forward, jumping towards Chara with its maw wide. Chara stood, despite their frightened gaze and every basic instinct they had was screaming at them to move. They closed their eyes, expecting their end.

They heard a ‘shink’ noise and a scream of pain. The scream echoed in their face, heat and spit cascading over their form. They opened their eyes to see the monster just in front of them, impaled by the spikes. Chara gasped and jolted back before looking down, seeing that lay spikes under them didn’t jolt up. Chara shook, their eyes now leaking tears before Asriel ran up to them from the monster’s side, spikes disappearing around him, “We’ve got to go, now!”  
Asriel dragged Chara for a second before Chara wiped their tears and ran with them. They heard a string of curses from the monster behind them slowly trashed its way off the spikes. Once it was free, it roared with all its might, “YOU TRICK ME! I’LL RIP YOU TWO TO SHREADS AND DEVOUR YOU!”  
Asriel and Chara ran once again, jumping over the small pit, but this time hearing the monster leap over it as well. They didn’t speak; they only ran back to the giant pit trap, knowing any hesitation would get them killed. Asriel started to guide Chara along the trap before hearing the monster jump again and snarl, it’s mouth frothing with rage. Asriel and Chara kept running until they heard a strange sound; stones collapsing. The monster growled, “NO! NOT AGAIN!”  
The monster landed with the thud and growled, rage taking their speech away.  
Asriel and Chara exited the room with the pit trap to see a swarm of spiders spilling forth from the next room. They stopped, gasping and widening their eyes at the spiders as they rushed past them into the pit trap room. Chara turned towards the room and saw the spiders making a web over the pit trap. Chara spoke, stunned, “They’re… helping us.”  
Asriel gave a weary smile, “Thank goodness.”  
Asriel immediately dropped to his knees, “I can’t go on.”  
Chara tried to support Asriel, “Come on! Hang in there, Asrie-“  
Screams of pain rang out from the pit, “NO AH! AAAAAAAHHHH!!!”  
As the screams rang out, a note dropped down in front of Chara, “It would be unwise to listen. Carry him to our corner and relax.”

Chara complied and relaxed on the far wall, placing Asriel next to them. They panted for a little while, the screams muffled by the spider webs and the distance. After a few minutes, the screams stopped, and Chara gave a contented sigh, “It’s dead.”  
Asriel nodded, frowning. Chara then swiftly punched Asriel in the shoulder, knocking Asriel over. Asriel whined, “Owww, why’d you do that Chara-“  
Asriel looked up at Chara and saw tears were peaking from their eyes. Chara spoke through their sobs, “Why’d you wait so long?!”  
Asriel sat up and looked down, “I’m sorry! I had to be sure the monster wouldn’t move after it got hit!”  
Tears streamed down Chara’s face, “It almost killed me!”  
Tears streamed down Asriel’s face “I KNOW THAT!”  
Chara’s eyes widened, not talking back. Asriel sobbed, “I was so scared, and I knew you were scared too! I know that was stupid, and I hope I never have to do something like that to you ever again!”  
Asriel sobbed into his hands, “I don’t want to do that ever again. I don’t want to risk killing you!”  
Chara’s gaze softened, “Asriel…”  
Asriel looked up, “I… I don’t want to lose you…”  
Chara gave a sigh and hugged Asriel, “It’s ok. We’re safe now.”  
Asriel nodded, tightening the hug slightly, “Yeah.”  
They hugged for a minute before pulling away. Asriel sighed and put the backpack in front of him, “Let’s rest here for a bit, have some spider cider.”  
Chara nodded, “Sounds good. Did you bring some cups?”  
Asriel nodded, pulling out the jug of cider and two slightly warped plastic cups. He placed the cups on the ground before pouring some spider cider into the cups. He gave one of the cups to Chara, “Here, still cool too.”  
Chara sipped the drink, found it tart but crisp, overall refreshing. They smiled, “I needed that.”  
Asriel sipped his cider, “Me too.”

————————————————————————

After finishing half the pitcher and relaxing for a while, the two decided to continue on their way towards where Chara fell. As they crossed the pit trap room, they noticed the area that the monster had fallen had stones over the pit once again. Not even the webs were visible. Chara and Asriel avoided looking at the pit, each getting a shiver from just a glance. Asriel lit more torch sconces, finally illuminating the hallway beyond. He looked down, “Here’s that bloodstain.”  
He put the backpack down and got out a cloth and wet it with some of the remaining spider cider. Asriel then approached the bloodstain and used the wet cloth to clean it, “Mom was right, blood made that monster go feral.”  
Chara nodded, “Then we should clean it, all of it.”  
Asriel gave the cloth to Chara, “Here, you take it. I… I don’t want to risk it.”  
Chara took the cloth and gave a smirk, “You haven’t so far. Hell, you carried my body through this place and all the way home without losing yourself.”  
Asriel quickly got the backpack on his back once again, “B-but… still.”  
Chara rolled their eyes, “Ok,”  
The two continued along, cleaning one or two more partial bloodstains along the way before finding themselves in the large spike trap room, still activated. Asriel quickly shifted a couple rocks in the doorway of the room and pressed a hidden button. The spikes descended immediately. Asriel calmly walked over the trap, but Chara stood at the very edge of it, prompting Asriel to look back with a frown, “It’s ok now, see?”  
Asriel walked all over the trap and no spikes shot up. Chara sighed before finally walking over the trap and entering the next room. Chara looked around while Asriel lit more torches, “How much longer?”  
Asriel gave a weary smile, “A few more minutes.”  
Chara saw the weariness, “Are you ok?”  
Asriel continued his smile, “It’s ok, I’m just a little tired. We did just run a lot.”  
Chara mused, “Perhaps we should take an early lunch when we get there.”  
Asriel nodded, “Sounds good.”

Those few minutes went by silently as the two made their way, cleaning up a few more bloodstains until they found themselves in a natural cave area. Chara’s eyes widened, “This is starting to look familiar.”  
Asriel nodded, “We’re here. The end of Home, and where you fell.”  
Chara’s eyes widened slightly as they came to the end of the area, one large golden ray poured from above them, the entrance far above their heads but open. Chara and Asriel noticed the last bloodstain; what was once a large one had been licked nearly clean. Chara quickly finished the cleaning and looked over at Asriel, “Can you burn this like your mother did with the gauze?”  
Asriel frowned, uncertainty in his voice, “I can try.”  
Asriel gently took the cloth, holding his breath before summoning flames into his hands. It took a few seconds, but eventually, the flames started to consume the cloth. Asriel dropped the cloth on the ground, but let it burn to ash, giving it more flames when needed. With a sigh of relief, Chara looked skywards at the hole they fell through. They raised a curious eyebrow, “It looks so far away… but from above it almost looks endless…”

Asriel blinked and looked over at Chara, surprise in his voice, “Chara… did you, did you fall on purpose?”  
Chara said nothing, tightening their left fist so Asriel wouldn’t see it. Asriel frowned, “From what you’ve said before… you’ve never had a good life on the surface… have you?”  
Chara pursed their lips before speaking, “Humanity is rotten.”  
“Huh?”  
Chara scowled lightly, “You and you’re family are the best people I’ve come across… and you’re suppose to _eat me_.”  
Asriel approached Chara, “Chara…”  
Asriel lightly hugged Chara from behind, “I don’t care that you’re a human. I wanted to help you and I did. That’s all there is to it.”  
Chara was silent for a few moments before Asriel spoke again, “I’m not going to ask you what happened before you fell. You can tell me when you’re ready. I just want to be here for you now.”  
Chara lightly grasped Asriel’s arms, “Well, you are doing that…”  
Asriel giggled for a moment before hearing their stomach growl. Chara blinked and looked back at them, fearful for only a moment. Asriel pulled away and blushed, “I… I guess we should have mom’s pie now.”  
Chara slowly smiled at Asriel, “Yes, I suppose we should.”  
Asriel immediately sat down and dug out two plastic containers, each containing a slice of pie and a fork for the pie. Asriel handed the butterscotch pie to Chara with a smile, “Here you go.”  
Chara sat down and opened the container as Asriel began to eat his own slice of pie. Chara was slower in eating their piece, which Asriel quickly noticed, “Oh, were you not hungry, yet?”  
Chara sighed, “Maybe,”  
Asriel frowned and put his fork down over his half-eaten piece, “Still shaken?”  
Chara nodded, “This is another thing that will take time.”  
Asriel nodded, “Ok,”

Before Asriel could speak again, the two heard a ringing from Asriel’s pocket. Chara blinked, but Asriel didn’t seem fazed as he quickly fished the flip phone out, “Must be mom.”  
Asriel answered, “Hello?”  
Asriel paused, “Yep, we’re alone… ok.”  
Asriel pulled the phone away and pressed a button before Toriel’s voice sounded from the phone, “Hello? Can you both hear me?”  
Chara spoke, “Yes.”  
Asriel let out a, “Mm-hm.”  
Toriel’s voice lightened, “Ah, wonderful! How are things so far? I assume you’ve already made it to Home.”  
Asriel spoke, “Yep, we made it!”  
Chara quickly shot them a serious look; mouthing in silence, “Don’t tell her.”  
Asriel raised an eyebrow as Toriel spoke, “Good, any problems? Did the hat work?”  
Asriel hesitated, “Y-yeah! Yeah it did! Even one of Mr. Gaster’s scientists didn’t realize!”  
Toriel’s voice dropped, “Asriel, you hesitated. What’s wrong?”  
Asriel frowned, “Well… we um…”  
Chara quickly interrupted, “When we got to Home, we found out a monster had been living in your old house. We managed to convince it to move away, though.”  
Toriel spoke with a little surprise, “Oh, I see. Well, that was very brave of you two. Was anything ruined?”  
Asriel frowned, “Dad’s room is a mess.”  
“Oh dear, well thank you for telling me this. Has anything else happened?”  
Chara answered before Asriel could, “No, we made it to where I fell without much trouble.”  
Toriel sounded relieved, “Then you made it past the traps. I was worried when you told me where you had fallen, but it seems I was worried over little. It is almost noon, have you two eaten yet?”  
Asriel spoke, “We were actually just eating now!”  
“Good! And I have good news, Asriel. I will be able to try and mix snails into Chara’s food tonight. Our business is going well, so I will be home in a few hours with more than enough time to make homemade pasta.”  
Asriel beamed, “Yay! Thank you, mom!”  
Chara nodded, “Pasta does sound nice, it’s been months since I’ve had spaghetti.”  
Toriel spoke kindly, “Then spaghetti it is.”  
Some murmurs could barely be heard through the phone before Toriel spoke again, “I must go. Please be careful, and don’t worry about the old house, we can fix it later. I love you, my children.”  
Asriel nodded, “Bye mom!”  
Chara spoke calmly, “Goodbye.”

The phone call ended and Asriel frowned, “Why did we not tell her about the monster?”  
Chara gave a half smile, “We’re safe now, so there is no need to trouble her about it.”  
Asriel gave a worried look, “But-“  
Chara interrupted, “It will be ok, Asriel. I trusted you. Now I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”  
Asriel gave a light smile, “I…I can do that.”  
Chara continued to eat their piece of pie, “Good. Now, let us finish lunch.”  
Asriel nodded, “Uh-huh, and if we get hungry, we can buy a spider donut.”  
Chara nodded and spoke before taking their next bite, “That cider was actually good.”  
Asriel beamed, “It is, isn’t it! Sometimes I can’t believe it’s made from spiders.”  
Chara nearly dropped their fork and started coughing, lightly choking on their pie. Asriel gasped, “Chara?!”  
He rushed to Chara’s side and patted their back until they stopped coughing. Chara exclaimed, “Spiders?! That was made from spiders?!”  
Asriel frowned, “Oh, humans don’t eat stuff like that? But, you said you liked it.”  
Chara was about to retort but looked dumbfounded for a second then defeated, “Well…. Yes… I did enjoy it.”  
Asriel smiled, “Then there’s no problem!”  
Chara sighed, “I suppose not. I will have to get used to eating a stranger diet down here.”  
Asriel giggled, “Yep, but it’ll be delicious!”  
Chara gave a genuine smile, “Yes. So far, it has.”


	10. What Happens on the River

The two decided to return home after another hour and a half of exploring and playing in Home. Asriel and Chara made it through Snowdin with little problem; its small population ignoring the two as they passed by. Asriel approached the Riverperson’s bell and rung it. The Riverperson swiftly appeared on the riverside, politely greeting them, “Tra la la, done with Home for the day?”  
Asriel nodded, “Uh-huh! Can we go back to Hotland, please?”  
Riverperson nodded, “Of course.”  
Chara lightly bowed, “Greetings, Riverperson.”  
Riverperson returned the bow, “Greetings, little Chara.”  
Chara pouted, “Please do not call me little.”  
Riverperson chuckled, “As you wish. I would not desire to be rude to such a polite child.”  
Asriel and Chara calmly climbed onto the boat, and the boat seemed ready to leave, but a voice sounded, “HEY! DON’T LEAVE YET!”  
Riverperson turned back towards the riverbank, “Oh? Another so soon?”  
Riverperson turned to the two, “Would you two children mind sharing the boat?”  
Asriel and Chara looked nervous for a second, but Chara spoke up, “I would be fine with sharing the boat.”  
Asriel smiled and nodded, “I agree, too!”  
Riverperson nodded, “Very well.”

A figure approached, panting, “Yes! I made it!”  
Riverperson stood firm, “Indeed, where do you wish to go?”  
The figure spoke, revealed to be an anthropomorphic red fox monster, “I need to get to Hotland, fast!”  
Riverperson spoke firm, “I see, would you mind sharing the boat with these two? They are also traveling to Hotland.”  
The monster looked down at the two, giving a ‘tsk’ noise and giving off a perturbed look, “Fine, I’ll ride with the brats.”  
Riverperson’s tone descended slightly, “Then step aboard.”  
The fox stepped aboard and slightly pushed Chara to the back with Asriel, claiming most of the boat. The Riverperson turned forward, “Onwards.”

The boat left the Snowdin riverside and started to glide into the dark tunnels of Waterfall. The boat was met with silence for a minute before some acute sniffing noises sounded. Chara and Asriel looked up at the new monster, curious. The monster continued sniffing and looked back at them, “You smell that?”  
The monster gave a wicked grin, “That smell… It’s been a long time …”  
Asriel and Chara’s eyes widened as the monster continued, “A human.”  
The monster turned its whole body towards the children, looming over them with drool dripping from the corners of its mouth. The Riverperson spoke louder than before, venomous in tone, “You are scaring the children, and have been rude from the start.”  
The monster looked back at Riverperson, snarling their words, “Children? One of them is fucking food! Like I give a damn about scaring my food!”

The boat abruptly stopped, putting the monster off balance, sending it forward a few steps and kneeling down. Riverperson stretched, the bottom of the cloak fluttering but not revealing what lies underneath. In seconds, the head of Riverperson’s cloak easily fell over the monster. The monster panicked, and tried to grab any part of Riverperson for leverage, but swiftly disappeared into Riverperson’s cloak with little resistance. Asriel and Chara’s jaws opened slightly in shock, hugging each other and shaking slightly. Riverperson returned to normal, but still faced their passengers. They spoke in a firm voice, “You have no reason to fear me.”  
Asriel spoke, his voice shaking with every word, “B-but y-you just… you just ate them!”  
Riverperson crooked their head, “Yes, what of it?”  
Chara frowned, “Are you going to eat us too?”  
The Riverperson returned to their normal stance, “Now why would I do that to such polite children? Even if one is a human.”  
Chara and Asriel blinked, but Chara frowned again, “You knew the whole time I was human.”  
Riverperson chuckled, “Indeed. I have known since little Asriel first dragged you onto my boat. There was blood, after all, I would be a fool not to notice.”  
“Then… why?”  
“Why what? Why will I not eat you?” The Riverperson’s tone turned dark, “Do you desire death?”  
Chara hesitated, their expression crestfallen, “N-no…”  
Riverperson turned forward and the boat started to move once again, “Then you do not need to fear me. Not as long as you stay polite.”  
Chara nodded, “I understand.”  
Riverperson turned back to them, their tone low, “Do you? Remember this children: what happens on the river, stays on it. It would be rude to tell stories of what happened. Do you understand now?”  
Asriel and Chara stood stiffly, “Understood!”  
Riverperson looked forward once again, “Tra la la, then there are no problems.”

The remainder of the boat ride to Hotland was pervaded by silence. Asriel and Chara sat near the back of the boat, averting their gaze from Riverperson. The boat soon came to a stop at Hotland and the two exited. Chara quickly turned around and gave a light bow, “Thank you, Riverperson.”  
Riverperson spoke, “Tra la la, you’re welcome, Chara.”  
Asriel was a little more hesitant, but still spoke, “Th-thank you…”  
Riverperson turned to them, their tone dipping slightly, “I understand you two now fear me. I still think it would be a shame to never ferry you two again, regardless of how our business comes to an end. You have always been one of my best, little Asriel, and I feel that the underground would be a lot darker without lights like yours.”  
Asriel gave a light smile, “Th-thank you, Riverperson. I did need to hear that.”  
Riverperson’s tone normalized, “Tra la la, I hear a bell ringing at the Waterfall stop, I must be off. Goodbye children.”  
The boat rose and ran away from the Hotland riverside, leaving Asriel and Chara standing there. After a few moments, Asriel sighed, “Guess we should get going. Mom’s gonna start worrying if we take too long.”  
Chara nodded before the two started to walk up the stairs, slowly feeling the heat of Hotland. Chara removed their hat for a few moments and started to fan themselves with it. Asriel looked over at Chara, “Can you fan me too?”  
Chara complied, prompting a smile from Asriel. He gave a sigh of relief, “Thank you.”

———————————————————————————–

Chara and Asriel exited their last elevator, Asriel giggling and rushing around the corner, “Race you home!”  
Chara gave a wicked smirk and dashed after him, “Loser sets and cleans the table!”  
Asriel roared in laughter as the two ran neck in neck throughout the grey hallways. After only a minute, they turned a corner and saw their finish line; the door to their home. Chara rushed ahead, panting through their charging, clutching the door first by the doorknob. They didn’t have any time to react as Asriel crashed into their back, causing the two to fall through the door. The two fell onto the wooden floor with a noticeable clatter. Immediately they heard footsteps stomp towards them. Two voices sounded off their names in worry. Asriel and Chara looked up to their right to see Toriel and Asgore rushing towards them then kneeling down next to them, Toriel’s dress was covered in flour, garlic, and red stains. Asgore was once again in his worn pink sweater. Toriel spoke first, her gaze and voice in panic, “What happened?! Were you two being chased?!”  
Asgore immediately poked his head out the door, an intensity in his voice and gaze, “If they were, they’re gone now.”  
Asriel slowly stood, “No, we’re fine! We just raced home! It was my idea.”  
Chara gave out a small laugh, “Now you set and clean the table tonight.”  
Asriel smiled, “Yep, I know.”  
Toriel gave a sigh of relief, “You scared us.”  
Asriel nodded, “I know. I’m sorry.”  
Chara looked up at Toriel, “I apologize.”  
Toriel patted Asriel’s head, “It’s alright, my children.”

Toriel then let out a light gasp, “The spaghetti!”  
Toriel rushed into the kitchen to find a couple of pots and pans on the counter, surrounded by her flames. One of these pots threatened to boil over, but Toriel wouldn’t allow that. With a wave of her arm, the flames dispersed just as bubbles started to peak from the pot. She gave a sigh of relief, “There we go.”  
She peaked her head out of the kitchen, “Dinner should be ready soon.”  
Asriel beamed, “We made it just in time!”  
He then blinked before giving a confused look towards Asgore, “Wait… I thought we would be early.”  
Asgore gave a hearty laugh, “Yes, but your mother was so excited about cooking something new for a change that she started early.”  
Chara blinked, “I see…”

Asgore approached Chara and gently removed their hat, “You do not have to wear that here. How was it, by the way?”  
Chara adjusted their hair and scratched their head, “Itchy.”  
Asgore nodded, “As I thought. Wool does not bother us so much but human hair is not as thick.”  
Chara nodded before Asgore retrieved a small item that was resting on Toriel’s chair, “I hope this one is better.”  
Asgore gently held a tan bucket hat in his hands, presenting it before Chara. Chara shrugged before putting it on and turning up the outer ring of the hat slightly. They gave a content smile, “This feels much better.”  
Asriel looked at the new hat with a curious look, “I think I liked the wool cap better.”  
Chara put their hands on their hips, “Well I like this one; you may have the wool cap if you desire.”  
Asriel shook his head lightly, “Hats feel weird over my ears.”  
Chara gave a condescending smirk, “I am sure we will find something.”  
Asriel giggled, “Maybe.”  
Chara took the hat off and held it, looking up at Asgore, “Thank you.”  
Asgore smiled, patting Chara’s shoulder, “You’re welcome, Chara.”

Chara quickly put the hat in their room, coming back to find Asriel setting the table while Toriel and Asgore were coming out with some plates of spaghetti topped with marinara sauce and snails. One plate was devoid of the snails, however, and placed in front of Chara’s seat. Toriel looked over at Chara as they approached the table, “I’m giving you the option to have it with or without snails.”  
Chara scratched their head as they stood next to the table, “I… I will try them again.”  
Toriel smiled, “Thank you for trying them again.”  
She scooped up the plate and headed into the kitchen just after Asgore came out with the tray of tea. He smiled, “I thought a simple black tea would be nice with this meal.”  
He placed the tray on the table and quickly placed the teacups next to the plates, but gave Chara’s cup directly to Chara, “Be careful, it is still hot.”  
Asriel mused while Chara lightly blew onto their tea, “When are we going to have some mint tea?”  
Asgore smiled as he sat, “Mint tea is very difficult to pair with a meal, Asriel.”  
He then frowned, “Do you not like the tea I chose today?”  
Asriel flustered, “N-no! I… I just miss having my favorite. I mean… we had your favorite when Chara arrived.”  
Asgore mused, “So we did. How about tomorrow morning?”  
Asriel smiled, “Yes! Thank you, dad!”  
Toriel exited the kitchen with Chara’s plate now topped with a large spoonful of snails, “Here you are, Chara.”  
She then sat down and everyone started to eat. Asriel beamed, “This is really good! Thanks mom!”  
Chara mixed the snails into the spaghetti thoroughly and took a bite. They smiled, the marinara mixing well with the butter and garlic of the snails, “It’s delicious.”  
Toriel smiled, “It is wonderful to hear that from the both of you. I am enjoying this as well.”  
Asgore nodded, “You did spend a long time on it.”  
Toriel spoke calmly, “Indeed. Thank you for assisting me by kneading the dough.”  
Asgore gave a proud smile, “It was my pleasure, dear.”

Toriel was about to say something when a knock sounded from the door. The whole family looked towards it curiously. Asgore spoke and stood, “Now, who could that be, so late?”  
Toriel looked over at Chara, “Quickly Chara, into the kitchen.”  
Chara nodded and started to stand up. Asriel spoke with worry, “M-me too!”  
He motioned to remove himself to his seat before Toriel spoke, “No, Just Chara.”  
Asriel frowned but nodded in understanding. Asgore opened the door and smiled, “Ah! Dr. Gaster, what brings you here so late?”  
Chara covered their mouth, hiding a gasp as they heard the Royal Scientist speak politely, “Good evening, Your Majesty. I hate to interrupt you, but there is some urgent news I must discuss with you.”  
Asgore let off a nervous chuckle, “Surely it couldn’t be that bad.”  
Gaster shook his head, “Oh no, nothing like that, sir. In fact, this could be the best news we’ve ever had.”  
Asgore rose an eyebrow as Gaster spoke, his voice full of confidence, “We have a human in our midst.”

The Dreemurrs all held shocked faces; Asgore stepped back a little and Toriel dropped her fork. Asriel spit out the tea he had been drinking and coughed. Toriel quickly acted and patted his back. Gaster peaked inside the house, “Goodness, are you alright, Prince Dreemurr?”  
Asriel spoke through his coughs, “Yes. I’m… I’m fine.”  
Asgore cleared his throat and regained his regal composure, “A-A human, you say… Well, I very much doubt that.”  
Gaster gave a small chuckle, “I knew you’d say something like this, which is why I’ve brought proof of this discovery.”  
Gaster reached into one of his coat pockets and pulled out a folded piece of paper, “Have a look for yourself.”  
Asgore took the paper while Gaster gave a small but smug grin. Asgore unfolded the paper and didn’t react for a moment, his face eventually showing defeat. He sighed, “There is no use hiding anymore, Chara.”  
Chara peaked from the kitchen nervously, seeing Gaster enter the house with a smug grin. Meanwhile, Toriel, Asriel, and Asgore all gave a disheartened expression. Gaster was quick to notice Chara, his expression quickly lightening up as they power walked towards Chara. Chara backed away at first but was stopped by Gaster looking over Chara with enthusiasm by poking and prodding them, “So young, and in good health I see; you two always knew how to care for the young.”  
Gaster paused while in front of Chara, giving a curious look, “Hmm, what’s this?”  
He held Chara’s chin with his right hand and closely examined their face, “Red eyes… how unusual in a human. Tell, me, did your parents have red eyes or is this a mutation? Perhaps even a recessive gene…”  
Chara tried to pull away, not responding to Gaster’s question, but didn’t have to. Toriel stood and spoke in a firm voice, “That’s enough, Gaster.”  
Gaster looked over at Toriel, unamused but conceded with a sigh, “Very well, Your Majesty.”

Gaster pulled away from Chara, standing tall with his hands behind his back. Chara immediately rushed to the other side of the table, eyeing Royal Scientist in suspicion. He gave a polite smile, “After all, we have much to discuss.”  
Asgore approached Gaster, “And what would that be?”  
Gaster lightly motioned towards Chara, “Why, what to do with the human, of course.”  
Asgore narrowed his eyes slightly, “Just what are you planning, Gaster?”  
Gaster motioned to Chara’s seat, “May I? I think this will be a long discussion.”  
Asgore looked uncomfortable for a second before nodding, “I’ll get you a cup of tea.”  
Gaster sat down, noticing the plate of spaghetti. He smirked and closed his eyes for a second before his eyes flared open again, his orange eye brighter than his blue. Four replicas of his hands appeared and carried Chara’s plate, tea, and silverware over to them, “I believe this is yours.”  
Chara silently nodded, standing and eating while lightly leering at him. Gaster’s eyes returned to normal just as Asgore placed a new cup of tea in front of Gaster, “Ah, thank you, Your Majesty.”  
He took a sip as Toriel and Asgore returned to their seats. Toriel spoke gently towards Asriel and Chara, “Chara, Asriel, please go eat in your room.”  
Asriel spoke up, “But mom!-“  
Toriel spoke firmly, “Now. Both of you. _Please_.”

Asriel and Chara looked at each other, Chara nodded with a serious look. Asriel frowned in response and followed Chara into their room, both of them carrying their dinner. The door closed with a small creak. Chara spoke with poison in their voice, “I don’t like him.”  
Asriel gave a nervous laugh, “Yeah, he can be a little strange.”  
Chara leaned against the door, trying to hear the conversation, “Quiet, I want to hear.”  
Asriel leaned next to Chara, “Me too.”  
Gaster cleared his throat, “Now then. I believe we all know what would happen if the human-“  
Toriel interjected, “Chara.”  
Gaster looked over at Toriel, “Excuse me?”  
Toriel spoke in a firm tone, “Their name is Chara. Their pronouns are they/them.”  
Gaster blinked, “I… see… In any case, if... _their_ presence is known among the population it will cause mass chaos in the underground. I, and I am sure you two as well, want to prevent that.”  
Asgore nodded, “But most of all, we want to keep Chara safe.”  
Toriel spoke firm, “They are merely a child, Gaster.”  
Gaster continued, “I understand this. Their appearance makes this quite obvious.”

He pulled out a few more papers, “I have a few theories, and they are the key to executing them.”  
Asgore examined the papers and his eyes widened, nearly throwing the papers back into the table, “You want to use them to make a substitute?!”  
Gaster passed copies down to Toriel, “If you want to speak in layman’s terms, yes.”  
Asgore pounded his hands on the table and shouted, “Absolutely not! You could kill them with something like that!”  
Gaster remained calm, “Killing them is far from optimal-“  
Toriel spoke up, “I’m sorry Gaster, but we cannot allow this.”  
Gaster narrowed his eyes, “If you two would just give me a second to explain.”  
Asgore stood, “You’ve already said more than enough.”  
Gaster was silent for a moment before sighing, “Very well.”  
He stood, “I will give you two until tomorrow. Please consider reading the proposal I’ve provided thoroughly.”  
He walked towards the door, “Until then, I bid you goodnight.”

Gaster lightly closed the door and walked off, prompting Chara and Asriel to open their door. Asriel spoke nervously, “Is… is everything ok?”  
Asgore gave a weary sigh, “I’m not sure…”  
Chara exited the room, prompting Toriel to come over and hug them tightly. Tears peaked from Toriel’s eyes, “I will never allow him to hurt you.”  
Asgore nodded, “As king, but more importantly as your father, I will not allow it either. You may be the future of monsters and humans, but not in that way.”  
Asriel smiled, “We’re all here for you, Chara.”  
Chara nodded, then looked down and gasped. Toriel pulled away and looked at Chara, mirroring their worry, “Chara? What’s wrong?”  
Chara spoke, fear slowly creeping into their voice, “Asriel, you remember what Riverperson said, right?”  
Asriel raised and eyebrow but looked down at what Chara was looking at, “Y-yeah…”  
Chara spoke, picking up one of the papers Gaster had left, “Beware the man who speaks in hands.”  
The paper was full of notes in what looked to be symbols and hand signs.


	11. Daily Struggles

The day before…

Within an instant, Sans appeared in a random cave in Waterfall. His eye still aglow from the conversation he just had with Gaster. He growled, feeling the rage nearly rattle his bones. He roared and raised his left arm, flinging it forward. A blaster appeared to his left and blasted at a wall of the cave. This repeated several times, Sans’s growls growling steadily until he roared with all of his might, sustaining his last blaster for a few seconds more. He then panted; slowly lowering his left arm as he saw the cave had expanded a few feet because of his attacks. He let out a low growl, “Damn him.”  
He punched the ground, “We finally get some fucking food and we can’t even touch it?!”  
Sans took a few more breaths, eventually calming himself down. He looked to his right shoulder, noticing a lump threatening to break his jacket. He touched it, knowing exactly what it was. He took one last breath, feeling the lump slowly regress. He mused after a small chuckle, “I’ll need some take out before I talk to her.”

He started to walk, his pace slow but steady in order to conserve his energy. Despite this, he kept his eye aglow to see well in the dark. After a few minutes, he could see crystals in the distance; he knew exactly where he was. He smirked, “Haven’t tried a temmie yet.”  
Sans slowly made his way to the path and found a lamp, lighting it with a little bit of magic. The bioluminescence of the grass below showed a specific path, which Sans stuck to until he heard noises up ahead. Voices, very strange and very high-pitched voices; temmies. He jumped into the darker, taller grasses and kneeled down. All that was left to do was wait. There were a number of them, At least five, but he only needed one to sate himself for now. He heard a panicked sound, “oH NoEs!”  
Another of the voices rang in worry, “WaT WrOng TeMMiE?”  
The first voice nearly wept, “tEM lOsT PweSSoUs TWeSSuRE!”  
The rest of them gasped, “oH NoEs!”  
The first voice turned confident, “DuNt WUrrY, TeM WiL gET iT. bE bACk SoOn!”  
The rest of the voices sounded in unison, “oH kAy, tEm! SeE sOOn!”  
The first one waved as its friends left, “bOI!”

Sans couldn’t help but smirk as he saw this. The temmies separated, leaving their friend alone to wander the luminescent grasses. It moaned, “ohH, wHeRe iT Go?”  
Sans continued to wait, the darkness of Waterfall slowly overtaking the cavern. The nearest lantern was a ways away from them, only prompting the low light of the crystals to guide the temmie. It moaned again and started to shake in fright, “gEtTTinG DaRk, wHeRe LaNTeRN?”  
He was annoyed he had to be so patient; he’d have killed any human ten times over by now. Still, Gaster’s instructions loomed in his mind, “If you hunt down here, you must ensure no other monster is around and leave no evidence. Only when a large number of monsters do the same, I will allow you to be violent.”  
He clenched his teeth upon remembering those instructions; Gaster always had a habit of taking the difficult path if it would keep the status quo. Despite this, even Gaster needed to eat, and Sans was amused that it was Gaster that led him to this trend. As long as Papyrus didn’t know.

Sans had his thoughts interrupted by the temmie giving a sigh of relief, “tHEre U ArE!”  
He saw the temmie pick up a small, shining object; a fake pearl attached to a string, a broken pearl necklace. The temmie put the necklace on and beamed, “YaYa! tEm GuD aT FiNDiNG TwESSURe!”  
Perfect; its guard was down. Sans jumped into action, lunging at the temmie. It was an easy grab. It let out a yelp, unable to see its captor in the darkness, “pLeaSE nO hUrT Tem! tEm gIvE TweSSUre! tEm FinD MoRE!”  
Sans’s eye flared as he let out a dark chuckle, not saying anything as he held the temmie closer to his face. His teeth sank into the temmie, and it only let out a whimper, silently crying. It knew its fate. Chunks at a time were bitten off, greedily swallowed, until finally Sans tasted it; the soul of his victim. He grabbed the soul with his teeth and a little bit of magic to push it along before tearing it from the temmie and swallowing it in one fell swoop. In an instant, the temmie turned to dust, slowly dissipating in Sans’s hands before being scattered throughout the cavern. The pearl dropped to the ground with a small clinking sound before Sans stepped on it and let it share the fate of its owner. He grinned, satisfied for only a moment before his grin dropped and he muttered under his breath, “I’d rather have one of the interns…”

He quickly wiped the dust from his lab coat and jaw, slowly licking what little dust was left. His eyes returned to white dots, glazed over in a memory for a few seconds. He envisioned the dust as blood on his bones, his mouth watering at the memory of the taste of his favorite blood. The news of the human entered his mind and he clenched his hands and teeth, his eyes once again becoming dark. He then, for the moment, put those thoughts aside. It was time to visit a friend, even if it was to clear his thoughts. He put his now cleaned hands in his pockets and teleported to another cave in Waterfall, one containing a house that looked like a fish. Sans knocked on the door, hearing a clatter inside before a female voice sounded, “Give me a minute!”  
Sans gave a curious expression as he heard someone trip over something and sound an ‘oof’ before cursing themselves. A ‘woosh’ sounded, along with an impact and a growl before a mutter from the same voice. The door then opened to see a tall fish-woman wearing a stuffy looking, form fitted outfit of purple and white, the Delta Symbol emblazoned on the chest. Sans stifled a laugh, “What the hell are you wearing?”  
The fish woman growled slightly, crossing her arms and giving an aloof expression, “Shut up; it’s my outfit for my induction tomorrow.”  
Sans blinked, “You actually got into the Royal Guard?”  
“You say that as if you’re surprised.”  
Sans shrugged, “Would be lying if I said I wasn’t.”  
The fish-woman gave a disgruntled sigh while rubbing her temples, “What do you want, Sans?”  
“What? I’m not allowed to visit a friend?”  
The fish-woman leaned against her doorframe, “Not saying that, it’s just been a while. You’re either busy with taking care of Papyrus or working for Dr. Gaster.”  
Sans sighed, his grin descending, “Yeah…”  
The fish woman was silent for a moment before moving out of her doorframe and into her house, “I see, you need to talk.”  
She turned and entered into her house, “Get in here and get it off your back.”  
Sans snickered, “Don’t you mean my backbone?”  
“Don’t fucking start.”  
Sans chuckled a little before entering the home, “Alright, I’ll stop with the jokes. Just for you, Undyne.”  
Undyne rolled her eyes and sat down at the table, “Now I know that’s a lie.”  
Sans looked around and saw a large box with one of Undyne’s magic spears sticking out of it. Undyne noticed Sans looked at the box, “It’s not broken.”  
Sans sat down at the table, “What’s in it?”  
Undyne leaned on one of his arms, elbow resting on the table, “A piano. Dunno, just bought it; guess I wanted something cool to celebrate getting into the Royal Guard.”  
Sans gave a light shrug, “Well, there are worse things to spend gold on.”

Undyne growled slightly, laying her arms on the table and staring straight at Sans, “Alright, let’s cut to the chase. What’d Dr. Gaster do this time to piss you off?”  
Sans’s eyes went black again, prompting Undyne to speak again, “Whoa, that bad?”  
Sans spoke slowly, “It just… struck a nerve.”  
Undyne sputtered slightly, “And the what, five other times you’ve come to talk to me hasn’t?”  
“Point taken.”  
“Just spill it, the sooner you do, the sooner you’ll feel better.”  
Sans hesitated. He knew he had to speak carefully about this topic, “Alright. It’s kind of petty but… Gaster… he tricked me.”  
Undyne raised an eyebrow, “He tricked you?”  
Sans continued, finally knowing what to say, “He made me think a human had fallen down here.”  
Undyne adjusted herself, “Why’d he want to do that?”  
Sans mused in an annoyed tone, “I don’t know. But as he was tricking me, he gave me these rules about the human. Not to touch them, not to talk to them, not even to approach them.”  
Undyne leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms, “So that’s what made you mad.”  
Sans nodded, “But before I could leave, he told me he was just… just gauging my reaction to a human in the underground, and it just pissed me off.”  
Undyne grumbled, “Honestly, I’d be pissed off too if he pulled that kind of prank on me. He’s got a sick sense of humor.”  
Sans smirked, “Hehe, he always did.”  
Undyne smirked, “There. I got you to chuckle dryly. Feel better?”  
Sans relaxed back in his chair, “A little bit, but I’ll take what I can get.”  
Undyne nodded, “Good.”

She paused with a sigh, “Look Sans; I know it means a lot to keep working under him, especially if he’s trying to help Papyrus out. Still, if he’s pissing you off this much… maybe it’s time to-“  
Sans interrupted, his voice harsh, “I can’t, Undyne. If there’s even one shred of hope that he can help Papyrus then I’ll endure it.”  
Undyne frowns, “How bad is he?”  
Sans sighed, leaning forward, “You know how bad he is; even before the sealing it had been at least a week since he ate. He loses more and more energy each day.”  
Sans’s arms begin to shake, “It’s… it’s just…”  
Undyne mused, “Yeah, I know; it’s tough to see him like that. I only see him once in a while and I can tell he’s already rough.”  
Undyne stood, “Hey, can I come with you to visit him? Maybe seeing him happy will help.”  
Sans sighed and stood, speaking in a disinterested tone, “Sure, maybe it will.”  
Undyne pointed to her bedroom with her thumb, “Gimme a minute to change; don’t want to ruin this for tomorrow.”

————————————————————————————–

Sans and Undyne entered through the simple door, “Hey Paps.”  
They entered in a plain, large room equipped with a stove, cabinets, a table, two beds, a couch, and a tv; the standard in New Home apartment complexes. On the bed furthest from them, was a taller skeleton, smiling at his brother and guest, “Oh hello, Sans! I didn’t expect you home for a few more hours!”  
He then jumped out of bed, “And Undyne! This is a wonderful surprise!”  
Sans approached his brother, “Feeling any better today?”  
Papyrus nodded, “Not to worry, brother! I’ve never felt-“  
Papyrus nearly crumpled to the ground, catching himself on his bedpost. He let out a small chuckle as he sat himself back on his bed, “I suppose I stood up too fast.”  
Sans gave a gentle smile, “Why don’t I cook you up some grub? I think we still have some spaghetti around here.”  
Papyrus nodded, “That sounds nice.”

Sans walked over to the cabinets, slowly taking out pots, pans, and some ingredients. Undyne approached Papyrus, sitting on Sans’s unkempt bed next to Papyrus’s used but more kempt bed. She tried to smile, but it turned somber instead of happy, “Hey there, Papyrus.”  
Papyrus crooked his head and frowned, “You look sad.”  
He then gasped, nearly covering his mouth and giving a worried expression, “Were you not accepted into the Royal Guard?!”  
Undyne’s expression flared, waving her arms in front of her, “N-no! I got in no problem!”  
Papyrus smiled in relief, “Oh thank goodness! I was worried there.”  
Undyne gave a smirk, “Yep, my induction is tomorrow. The king and queen are gonna be there for it, too!”  
Papyrus’s eyes lit up, “Really?! Wowie, what an honor!”  
Sans let out a quiet ‘tsk’, unnoticed by Papyrus or Undyne, before continuing to prepare some food for Papyrus. Undyne gave a half smile, her tone annoyed, “Yeah, too bad I gotta wear this stuffy uniform for it.”  
Papyrus smiled, “I’m sure it looks fine,”  
Sans chuckled, “Trust me, bro, she’s a real turkey in it.”  
Sans chuckled again as Papyrus and Undyne both groaned. Papyrus called out, “Sans, please! Undyne is our guest!”  
Sans waved dismissively, “Yeah, yeah.”

Undyne rolled her eyes before turning back towards Papyrus, “Anyway, it’s tomorrow afternoon at the main square here in New Home.”  
Papyrus nodded, “Then you should stay with us tonight!”  
Undyne raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth a little wider, “Huh?”  
Papyrus beamed, “That way you can make it on time for sure! You could even be early! It’s always good to be punctual to events such as this!”  
Undyne frowned, “I mean… I guess I could, but…”  
Sans shrugged, “Why not? It’s not like you have someone waiting for you at home.”  
Undyne sighed, “Sure, why not. I guess I’ll crash on the couch.”  
Papyrus shook his head, slightly waving his finger, “Absolutely not! You’ll take my bed! You have to be rested!”  
Undyne frowned, “I appreciate the offer but-“  
Sans interjected, “Nah, I’ll take the couch tonight, Paps.”  
Papyrus looked up at his brother, “But Sans-“  
Sans looked over, carefree grin on his face, “I might have to pop back to the lab tonight away.”  
Papyrus frowned, “Oh… alright then.”  
Sans winked, “Don’t worry, Paps, I’ll be back before you know it.”  
Papyrus smiled weakly, “If you insist.”  
Undyne pointed downwards, “At least make your bed. I mean seriously, how do you sleep in this pile of sheets?!”  
Papyrus gave an annoyed tone, “Sometimes he doesn’t, he tends to sleep on the couch or is out all night at the lab.”  
Undyne sighed, “Right. What stuff is Gaster making you do all night?”  
Sans continued to make the food as he talked, “Usually he sends me around the lab and the Core, checking equipment and collecting reports. Things like that.”  
Undyne blew a raspberry, “So you just collect his reports? Lame.”  
“I also monitor a few projects.”  
Undyne smirked, “There’s the juicy stuff! Like what?”  
Sans smirked and looked back at Undyne, “Sorry, can’t say.”  
Undyne frowned, “You jerk, holding out on me.”  
Papyrus patted Undyne’s back, “Sans tries very hard working under Dr. Gaster. I’m sure there are good reasons he can’t share everything.”  
Undyne frowned, “Guess you’re right.”  
She stood, “Alright, I may be a guest, but I’m still gonna help you two out with dinner!”

——————————————————————————————-

Hours passed, Undyne settled into the house with her uniform for tomorrow. Sans stood from the couch with a sigh, time to go in. He teleported back to Gaster’s lab, appearing in the same room with the broken monitoring equipment; he saw the same intern that broke the machine working diligently to fix it. By the door, another intern stood; one he did not recognize. The first thing he noticed was yellow scales covering the slightly arched form. The second was the three large horn-like appendages poking from the head, also fully covered in scales. The intern had small eyes, hidden behind thick glasses resting on the long snout. Two sharp teeth budded from the mouth, almost as if the intern was buck-toothed. They dressed fully in the basic lab coat and holding a clipboard. They blinked as they noticed Sans, giving off a more feminine but slightly nasally voice, “O-Oh! Y-You’re Dr. Gaster’s personal assistant…. Erm… oh this is embarrassing… what was your name?”  
Sans answered simply, “Sans. And you are?”  
The intern stammered over her words, her large even wagging slightly in nervousness, “A-Alphys. I-I’ve been here for… for about three m-months now.”  
Sans spoke disinterestedly, “I see… so how are the repairs going?”  
Alphys adjusted her glasses and smiled submissively, “Actually, they’re going pretty well. At this rate, they’ll be finished tomorrow afternoon.”  
Sans looked over at the one fixing the machine, “That true?”  
The intern stammered, “Y-yes! I’m even prepared to work through the night to get it done before noon!”  
Sans rolled his eyes, “Just get back to work.”  
The intern continued without another word. Sans looked back at Alphys, “Guess you’re dismissed since I’ll be stuck here watching over them.”  
Alphys frowned but handed over her clipboard, “A-Are you sure? I could be of some help, I-“  
“It’s fine,” Sans interrupted her calmly, accepting the clipboard, “Besides, only need one pair of eyes to watch them.”  
Alphys nodded, “Y-yes, sir. I-I’ll go sign out then.”  
Sans perked up, “Before you go, notify Gaster that I’m here.”  
Alphys nodded, “Of course!”

Alphys then rushed out the door without another word. Sans leaned against the wall, boredom and annoyance rolled into his expression and voice, “Just you and me tonight. You better not annoy me.”  
The intern gulped, “I-I wouldn’t dream of it, s-sir.”  
Sans let out a ‘tch’ and rolled his eyes, setting himself up for a boring night. His gaze hovered around the intern, but his sight glazed over, staring off into space. He did this for what seemed like hours until the door beside him opened. Gaster appeared in the door, causing Sans and the intern to immediately come to attention; the intern much more stiff than Sans. Gaster smirked at Sans, “I see you’ve calmed down.”  
Sans said nothing in return, hearing nothing but the machine ring slightly and the intern quiver. Gaster looked over at the intern, “Continue.”  
The intern swiftly returned to work as Gaster spoke to Sans again, “What’s your brother’s condition?”  
Sans put his hands in his pockets, looking away from Gaster, “He was woozy and had to sit back down, so he’s declining at the pace you predicted.”  
Gaster nodded, “I’ll make a note of it for his next appointment.”  
Sans muttered, “Is that all?”  
Gaster frowned, “We’ll address that later, once the monitoring system is fixed. Until then, do not even hint at it.”  
“Fine.”  
Gaster paused for a moment, “Alphys insisted on staying the night, after five hours you are to switch out with her and get some rest. Once you wake up, you will do your usual rounds before switching out with Alphys again. Understood?”  
“Yes.”  
Gaster smirked, “Good. And goodnight.”  
Gaster left without another word, after another minute Sans spoke, “Smug prick.”

————————————————————————————–

The intern perked up, “There! That should do it. Do I have permission to start the tests?”  
Sans waved his arm, “Just do it already.”  
The intern nodded, bags beneath their eyes from the long night of work. Sans checked the clock in the corner of the room, about eleven; the intern made decent timing, Said intern starting typing on the console of the machine, slowly powering it up and running a diagnostics. The intern beamed as all the cameras in Hotland and the few they had set up in Waterfall were all recording with no problems. With a few button presses, the printer to the side of the machine started printing images on the screens. The intern swiftly stapled the pictures together and handed them to Sans, “All cameras and recording systems are fully operational!”  
Sans smirks, “Yeah, well, you’re not dismissed until Gaster says you are. Stay here, I’ll go get him.”

The intern nodded, frowning as Sans left the room with the small stack of pictures and papers. He made his way to Gaster’s office, finding Gaster inside writing with his magic hands, his right eye aglow. Gaster looked up, “The repairs are complete?”  
Sans nodded and tossed his stack of papers on Gaster’s desk, “I told the intern to stay put until your say so.”  
Gaster stood, his magic hand-clones quickly taking the new papers and sorting them, “I see. Remind me, this was his… third mistake, I believe?”  
Sans nodded, “Dropping valuable data into the Core, programming the water system to Home incorrectly, and breaking the camera system.”  
Gaster nodded, his hand-clones disappearing and his eyes returning to normal, “All very large mistakes.”  
Sans chuckled, “Need me to stand guard?”  
Gaster smirked, “If you desire, but it will not be necessary; you know how sound proof these rooms are, after all.”  
Sans turned around, “Well, enjoy your lunch.”  
Sans disappeared once again, but Gaster did not go back to work. He made his way to the camera system and found the intern patiently waiting for him, “O-Oh! Dr. Gaster! See? I finished the repairs in more than enough time!”  
Gaster carefully closed the door, locking it with magic, “Indeed, but you broke it in the first place.”  
The intern let out a nervous chuckle, “Y-yeah…. Well… I-I’m dismissed, right? R-right?”  
Gaster smirked, approaching the intern, “Indeed,”  
Gaster’s eyes flared, several hands appeared around the intern and grabbed him. The intern struggled, “W-Wait! You said I was dismissed!”  
Gaster chuckled darkly, standing just in front of the intern, “Yes. You are dismissed.”  
Gaster’s hands started to rip the intern apart, piece-by-piece. The intern started to scream in pain, hoping someone would hear. Gaster spoke, his voice barely heard over the intern’s screams, “P E R M A N E N T L Y.”


	12. Familial Ties

Gaster focused on the cameras intently, looking for any signs of the prince or the human. His eyes constantly shifted, looking at a new camera each second. He had stood there for hours, waiting for his chance.  
Sans appeared in the room, giving off an exasperated tone, “Find anything yet?”  
Gaster spoke calmly, “No, but the human has to show itself eventually if it’s curious about the underground.”  
Sans walked up to Gaster, standing beside him while looking up at the screens, “And if they aren’t?”  
Gaster smirked and gave a small chuckle, “It will; humans are naturally curious, even if that curiosity leads into danger.”  
Sans shrugged, “If you insist.”  
Sans paused, “Did the intern give you any trouble?”  
“Hardly, but filling nonetheless.”  
Sans let out a ‘tch’ sound, “Barely.”  
Gaster shot a glance, “You would rather starve?”  
Sans’s eyes went to black, “No.”  
Gaster looked back at the screens, “Then you will live with it, and you will keep it secret.”  
Sans grinned impishly, “For now.”

Gaster was about to respond until his eyes flared, his voice dipping into another language, “There! The riverside entrance!”  
Sans’s own eye flared as both had their eyes focused on the camera showing the top of the staircase by the riverside. Two small figures emerged from the stairs, walking side by side. The first figure they identified was the young prince, Asriel Dreemurr. The second was unfamiliar; a small near pale being, except for their flushed cheeks. They were dressed in a sweater that nearly matched the Prince’s favorite sweater; a green sweater with a large yellow stripe. This was accompanied by beige capris and brown, worn out running shoes. The figure was removing a green wool cap from their head, revealing their chocolate brown hair, cut a half-inch above their shoulders and hiding their forehead with messy full-fringe bangs.

Gaster’s hand clones immediately dashed to the keyboard, his eyes transfixed on the human while holding a wide smile. Sans’s eyes went dark as he saw the human, his smile slowly dropping into a frown. His thoughts were distracted when he heard the monitoring system start to print something. Before he could see what it was, Gaster quickly snatched it and cackled with unbridled glee, “Finally; the first human to fall!”  
Sans growled, taking one last look at the screens before Asriel and the human made their way to the ‘L1' elevator, “And it had to be fucking kid.”  
Gaster smirked, giving a small chuckle, “At least now you have less of a reason to attempt to kill it.”  
Gaster examined the printed-paper, a picture of the human fanning Asriel with their hat. Gaster normalized, still slightly shaking from his joyous outburst, “We can finally help everyone with this, including your brother.”  
Sans’s eye flared for a moment before Gaster looked down with a frown, “I’m sure I do not have to remind you of my instructions, do I?”  
Sans looked away meekishly, “No.”  
Gaster smirked as he started to walk towards the door, “Good. I would hate to lose my personal assistant.”  
Sans spoke up as Gaster reached the door, “Wait.”  
Gaster stopped, his hand floating just above the doorknob. He looked over at Sans with a frown, “What is it?”  
Sans frowned, his eye flaring, “Promise me, right now, that the first monster we help will be Papyrus.”

Gaster narrowed his eyes as he lowered his arm away from the doorknob and stood tall. He smiled, a light but eerie smile, as he took a few steps towards Sans. Sans widened his eye sockets and instinctually backed up as Gaster approached, his own eyes flaring for only a moment. Sans felt a few of Gaster’s hand clones gently stop him from backing up into the monitoring system. Within a few steps, Gaster towered over him. Gaster spoke, his eyes still aglow with magic and the eerie smile across his face, “Of course, but in return, you must continue to work under me. You will continue to do what I say, when I say it.”  
Gaster’s hand clones grasped Sans’s shoulders, lifting him slightly. Sans’s eyes became dark once again as Gaster continued with the smile, now brighter but still eerie, “And if you disobey me, even for a second.”  
Gaster widened his eyes and his mouth, baring his fangs at Sans and speaking in another language;  
“I W I L L D E V O U R Y O U A N D Y O U R B R O T H E R.”  
Sans was gently put back down, making him stand there with his head facing downwards slightly. Gaster once again smirked, his expression calmer, “Understood?”  
Sans paused before looking up at Gaster, his eyes still dark. His voice sounded much quieter than before, “Yes… sir.”  
Gaster said nothing before walking out the door, leaving Sans to collapse on his hands and knees. He breathed deeply, his whole body shook, and he felt tears about to peak from his eye sockets. He clenched his hands after a little while and spoke, his voice wavering, “Papyrus… D-damn it…”

——————————————————————————————-

About an hour later, Gaster stormed into his office, “That fool of a king!”  
He slammed his arms onto his desk, “Unbelievable!”  
He was about to sit down before he sighed, “I’ll have to call him.”  
Gaster quickly fished out his cell phone and called Sans. After a few rings, Sans picked up the phone, “Hey-”  
Gaster was quick to speak, “Teleport to my office immediately!”  
Sans paused before sighing, “Gimme a minute, I’m with Paps.”  
Gaster smirked, “Sixty seconds, starting now.”

Gaster hung up the phone and sat down at his desk, rubbing his temples deeply. About thirty seconds later, Sans teleported in; his stance more closed in on himself and his tone nervous, “The… the first meeting didn’t go well?”  
Gaster grumbled, “Worse than I could have ever predicted.”  
Gaster used his hand clones to pull up a chair for Sans as he continued, “The king and queen both refused to listen to my proposal about the human.”  
Sans sat forward in his chair, relaxing a little, “How far’d you get?”  
Gaster sighed, “I barely spoke; the king saw only one-fourth of my proposal before yelling and refusing to listen to reason. “  
Gaster adjusted himself, “Undoubtedly because the human is young; they’ve become far too attached for their own good. It is as if they do not remember that we _need_ to eat humans to survive.”  
Sans smirked, “They’ve been eating those snails for too long, heck, that’s all the prince has ever eaten.”  
Gaster nodded, “I still find it miraculous he’s survived this long, and with such energy. But I suspect it has more to being a boss monster than the snails ever could.”

Sans fully relaxed in the chair, leaning backwards, “So, what’s the plan now?”  
Gaster seemed a little more relaxed, leaning forward onto his desk, “I’ve given them time to look over my proposal in full. If they even bother to read it, that is. It fully states that I am willing to negotiate.”  
He sighed, “If we could at the very least get the king and queen to calmly talk things through, this would turn out for the better.”  
Sans smirked and spoke dryly, “Yeah, you’d just hate to use drastic measures.”  
Gaster frowned, “Indeed, but if comes to that, I will. I’ve survived with that philosophy, as have you.”

Gaster waved Sans off, “You can go now; I just needed to talk through this frustration.”  
Sans nodded, “But before that…”  
Gaster gave a curious look, “What is it?”  
Sans continued, “What’s the plan for the human?”  
Gaster used his hand clones to bring up some notes from within his desk, “Use it to develop a substitute. My preferred approach is keeping it alive as long as possible, extracting enough blood to make the substitute but not so often as to cause anemia.”  
Sans grinned, “And their soul?”  
Gaster continued, “Mild, non-lethal research while alive but fully research it after the human has died.”  
Sans’s smile slowly turned into a smirk, “I see.”  
Gaster frowned, “Keep in mind this would be the most optimal outcome; I doubt the royal family will agree to all of these demands.”  
Sans stood, “Alright, guess I’ll leave you to it.”

Gaster spoke up, one of his hand clones tapping Sans on his shoulder, “Your brother’s next appointment is in two days. It would be a shame to forget that.”  
Sans kept a neutral face, “Don’t worry, Papyrus counts down the days as well.”  
Gaster smirked, “I bring it up because I need him to not ‘eat’ for twelve hours prior to this appointment.”  
“Noted.”  
“Then you are dismissed.”  
Sans immediately disappeared from Gaster’s office, once again leaving him to his work.

——————————————————————————————-

“What does it mean?” Asriel squinted at the papers left by Gaster, full of symbols and hands in place of the letters he was used to. Chara crumpled the one they were holding and threw it on the ground. Asgore kneeled down, speaking calmly to Chara and Asriel, “It is just the language Gaster originally speaks. He is far more comfortable writing in it as he has to speak to everyone in our common language.”  
Asriel frowned, “I see.”  
Toriel frowned, sitting down on the floor near Chara, “Chara, what did you mean? Who is this ‘Riverperson’ you spoke of?”  
Chara and Asriel eyed each other nervously, each begging each other to tell a lie. Asriel sighed, closing in on himself slightly, “We… we promised someone we wouldn’t tell….”  
Toriel raised her voice slightly, “I am your mother!”  
Her voice became more somber, “Please, I want you two to feel comfortable to tell me anything…”  
Chara shook their head, looking Toriel in the eyes, “It is not because of you. We made a promise and… it would be… it would be rude to break it.”  
Toriel sighed, “Then there is nothing I can say.”

Asgore collected all of Gaster’s papers, “For now, let us finish dinner. I’ll read over his proposal afterwards.”  
Toriel tone rose in shock, “You cannot possibly be considering-“  
Asgore cut Toriel off, “I am not.”  
Toriel blinked, but let Asgore continue, “I… I want to make sure he can be persuaded to not pursue this.”  
Toriel smiled in relief, “Then I will look over them with you.”  
Toriel stood and looked at Chara and Asriel, “I am sorry I asked you to leave like that. Let me help you move your plates back.”  
Asgore nodded, “I will take your teacups back to the table.”

Slowly but surely, the Dreemurr family returned to their dinner, eating in silence. Gaster’s teacup was emptied and washed with the rest of the dishes once dinner was done. As promised, Asriel cleared the table, carefully taking everyone’s plates, silverware, and teacups in multiple trips to the sink in the kitchen. Toriel smiled, “Chara, why don’t you help Asriel wash the dishes while we look over this proposal?”  
Chara frowned, “You promise you won’t let him take me away?”  
Asgore leaned down, gently petting Chara’s head, “I promise.”  
Chara nodded and headed into the kitchen to help Asriel with the dishes. Asgore and Toriel sat at the dinner table in Asgore’s and Chara’s chair. They placed the two copies of Gaster’s proposal in front of them, Asgore’s copy containing the page Chara bunched up. Toriel examined he first page and sighed as she gently placed it back on the table, “You will have to translate; I cannot read this.”  
Asgore nodded, “I am not fully versed in his language myself, but I should know enough to read this.”  
Asgore held what he assumed to be the first page and squinted, “Let me see…. it starts with his formal letterhead, that I recognize… I know I saw substitute in the first half of this page somewhere…”  
Toriel rubbed one of Asgore’s hands gently, “It is alright; take your time, dear.”  
Asgore nodded, slowly quoting the page, “The human… kept by the Royal Family… must be used carefully. I, Dr. W. D. Gaster, propose the following: I propose using the human to create a substitute, to… be… eaten by the kingdom.”  
Toriel shivered, “I… I do not feel comfortable with this… it would be as if the entire underground is slowly eating Chara.”  
Asgore groaned, scratching his beard, “This is getting harder for me to read.”  
Toriel frowned, “It does appear to be a difficult language.”  
Asgore continued to read, “The methods to be used are…. are… I cannot read this word.”  
“Try by each symbol.”  
Asgore examined the page more closely and gasped, “L-lethal!”  
Toriel stood, her eyes widening in shock, “Are you sure?! Are you positive it says that?!”  
Asgore frowned, “The language is more and more difficult as it goes down the page, but I’m sure that word is ‘lethal’.”  
Tears peaked from Toriel’s eyes, “We… we cannot accept his demands… He’ll kill them!”  
Asgore stood and hugged Toriel tightly, “Please, calm yourself. If anything, we must stay strong for their sake.”  
Toriel returned the hug, her voice wavering slightly, “Asgore… I will try.”

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Chara stopped drying the plate they were holding and listened to Toriel’s and Asgore’s conversation. They bit their lip and started to noticeably shake. Asriel looked over and smiled, “It’s ok, Chara, they just said they’d never give you to him.”  
Chara sighed as a few tears peaked from their eyes, “I was told that before as well…”  
Asriel frowned, “This time it isn’t a lie.”  
Chara put the plate down, “I want to believe that, but-“  
Asriel stopped them by patting their shoulder, “Mom and dad don’t lie.”  
Chara didn’t respond, instead, they finished drying the plate. Asriel frowned for a second before giving a small smile, his voice dropping to a whisper, “You’ll see, Chara, everything’s going to be ok. We survived a feral monster, I’m sure mom and dad can convince Gaster that there’s a better way.”  
Chara looked over at Asriel and saw he was crossing his heart again; Chara frowned, “Fine. I will try to trust you three with this. For now.”  
Asriel nodded, “Good enough for me.”

The two quickly finished washing the dishes and entered the living room, where Asgore and Toriel were waiting for them, sitting in their usual chairs once again. Toriel’s eyes were slightly puffy, prompting Asriel to walk over to her, “Mom, are you ok?”  
Toriel nodded with a somber smile, “Yes.”  
Asgore spoke, his voice gentle, “Please, sit down you two.”  
Chara and Asriel sat in their usual seats before Asgore continued, “We… we read the proposal as far as we could. Gaster’s language can be very difficult, but I was able to translate about a fourth of the proposal he has given us.”  
Asriel frowned, “We… kind of heard. We heard you say that something was… lethal.”  
Chara immediately shifted, their gaze now downwards as they slowly closed in on themselves. Asgore frowned, “Yes, it was difficult to decipher, but I believe his proposal does state that making a substitute from Chara would result in Chara’s death.”  
Toriel nodded, “That is why we will not allow him to take you. I am sure there are better ways than the sacrifice of a child.”  
Chara looked up, their gaze starting at Toriel then turning over to Asgore, “You promise? Truly?”  
Asgore stood, putting his hand over his heart, “I promise.”  
Toriel walked over and petted Chara’s head, “As long as I shall live.”  
Asriel smiled, “Me too. That’s what family does! We protect each other.”  
Chara gave a subtle smile, “Family… yes…”


	13. Drawing Rainbows

Chara tossed and turned once again in bed, visions swimming before their eyes as a new dream emerged. Their house emerged, daylight filling the living room. The walls were a robin’s egg blue, highlighted by a few paintings with white borders. Much of the furniture was also white, except for two small wooden tables flanking the couch. The flooring was a lighter wood with a small carpet under the white coffee table. Across from the coffee table and couch was a large flat-screen television, complete with large speakers flanking it and a small cabinet to house the various electronics for the television. Chara sat at the coffee table, facing the couch and studying a math worksheet. They flew through the problems, fully vested in the homework. After making it halfway through, they heard a male shouting from the kitchen, “Fine then! I don’t give a damn anymore! File the fucking divorce, but so help me I’m taking Chara with me!”  
A feminine laugh echoed, “You? With your shitty little writing job? How could you ever support a child on such a salary?”  
The male growled, “Don’t talk like you actually care about them! You only want them so they can improve your image!”  
Chara covered their ears at this point, leaning over their homework as the argument continued. Despite this, they could hear every word. Chara’s mother continued, “What image could I possibly gain with a red-eyed child that gets beaten at school all the time?!”  
“Then why aren’t you doing anything about it?! I’m the one contacting all the parents and asking them to get their kids under control.”  
“You know damn well that it’s only causing more beatings!”  
“At least I’m fucking doing something! The fuck are you doing other than your stupid mayoral campaign?!”  
“At least as mayor I could do something for this town! Have you done anything to help?!”  
Chara felt their tears starting to leak out and their hands crushing their own ears. The argument subsided slightly, but Chara kept their ears firm as their father spoke in a more calm fashion, “I can’t do this. Not anymore.”

Footsteps echoed from the tile in the kitchen, slowly making its way to the living room. Chara felt themselves gently being shaken, “Chara, Chara?”  
Chara looked up at the figure, their father. He had messy brown hair hanging just above his ears and his black eyes. He had pale skin, mostly hidden by his grey turtleneck and his beige khakis. He smiled at Chara, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to your favorite park, okay?”  
Chara smiled and nodded, taking ahold of their father’s hand. High heels clinked on the kitchen tile before Chara’s mother exclaimed, “If you take one step out that door with Chara, I’m calling the police and you’ll never see them again!”  
Chara and their father stopped at the door, the father lightly biting his lip as his hand hovered over the doorknob. He sighed and lowered his arm away from the doorknob as Chara’s mother approached them, “That’s what I thought.”  
She looked down at Chara, “Finish your homework.”  
Chara looked between their two parents, one neutral and one crestfallen. The father saw Chara’s confused state and gave a small smile, “It’ll be okay, we’ll go to the park later,”  
Chara spoke up, “Promise?”  
“I Promise.”  
“Okay,” Chara returned to their homework before their dream shifted to a courtroom. At the tables reserved for the defendant and the plaintiff were each of Chara’s parent and a lawyer. Chara themselves sat in the first row of seats on their father’s side but near the aisle. They knew they had been sitting there for hours as the trial had dragged on and on. Finally, the judge spoke, names warped, “With everything that has been presented, this court finds that the custody of [your child] goes to [the mother].”  
Chara’s father fell back into his chair and covered his face. The lawyer next to him gave a solemn look but said nothing. Chara frowned as well, only feeling a pit form in their chest. Chara’s mother gave a victorious smile before speaking, “Thank you, it is good to know that the court recognizes that Chara is better off with those who actually can care for them.”  
Chara’s father scowled at their now ex. The two quickly gathered up their papers, the father finishing first and heading straight for Chara. He kneeled down in front of Chara and gave a solemn smile, “Looks like we can’t go to the park anymore…”  
Chara frowned but said nothing before Chara’s father continued, “Listen closely; when you turn eighteen, all of this won’t matter. Once that happens, you come find me, alright?”  
Chara nodded, “I’ll be able to find you, right?”  
He smiled, “Yes, I should be easy to find.”  
The two then hugged, only to be interrupted by Chara’s mother, “That’s enough. I have to take Chara home.”  
Chara’s father frowned and pulled away, “You better take care of them.”  
Chara’s mother smirked, “After everything, they’ll be a productive member of society.”

The world warped once again to Chara’s home, Chara holding all of the mail and the newspaper. They set it on the coffee table and looked up at their mother, “There’s a lot of it again.”  
Their mother immediately took the stack of mail and started to sort it, “Are you done with your homework?”  
Chara nodded, “Yes, I am.”  
“Then start your chores, and do them right.”  
“Y-yes, mother.”  
Chara shuffled off towards the kitchen in silence, hearing their mother’s cell phone ring. She answered, “Yes?… This is she.”  
She slumped forward as he heard the message from the other side, “Yes… that is my ex-husband, why?”  
Chara stopped and turned back towards the living room, waiting for any sound from their mother. After a bit they heard their mother speak in a pleased tone, “I see. Thank you for informing me of this. Goodbye.”  
She then hung up before lightly cupping her face and putting her elbows on her knees. A strange noise came from her as Chara peaked into the living room, “M-mother?”  
As Chara slowly approached, they recognized the noise; laughter. After a while, Chara’s mother leaned back and looked over at Chara, “Chara, dear, you’ll always be able to find your father now.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”  
She smirked, “Your father’s dead.”  
Chara widened their eyes, absolute horror consuming their face. Tears leaked from their eyes for a few seconds, before Chara began to sob and fall to their knees.

——————————————————————————————-

Chara woke up with their pillow slightly wet and their eyes puffy. They rubbed their eyes slightly and saw Asriel was walking towards them. In the half-lit room, Chara could easily see Asriel’s concern even before he spoke, “Another bad dream?”  
Chara sat up in their bed, swinging their feet off the side, “Yes,”  
Asriel sat on the bed next to them, “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but you’ve had one every time you’ve slept since you’ve been here.”  
Chara bit their lip, “Just bad memories.”  
Asriel blinked, “Bad memories?”  
Chara nodded, “I am used to them.”  
Asriel sighed, “You won’t let me do anything, even though I want to.”  
Asriel hugged Chara and giggled, “Expect this; I can hug you until you feel better.”  
Chara hesitated for a few seconds before lightly reciprocating the hug, “For now.”  
Asriel nodded, “Someday I’ll get you to be happy for a long time.”  
Chara gave a dry chuckle, “Then I will await that day.”  
Asriel hugged tighter for a second before letting go, “Hehe! So, should we wake up mom?”  
Chara jumped off their bed, “No, I… I think I want to draw for now.”  
Asriel beamed, “You’re going to try drawing?! I’ll get the crayons and books!”

Asriel took the crayons and coloring books from the top of the toy chest and put them on the floor before going to the light switch and turning on the light. Chara squinted their eyes and covered them with their right arm. They let out a groan, “Warn me next time.”  
Asriel walked over to Chara and sat next to the coloring books, “Sorry.”  
They both opened to a blank page, Asriel smiled towards Chara, “What are you gonna draw?”  
Chara looked down at the paper, “Perhaps I should start with something simple, like a rainbow.”  
Asriel raised an eyebrow, “What’s a rainbow?”  
Chara mirrored their companion’s confusion, “You haven’t seen a rainbow?”  
Asriel shook their head, “What’s it like?”  
Asriel then beamed, “Can you draw it?!”  
Chara reached for a number of crayons, “It should be simple.”  
Chara started to draw a curved line, starting with the red crayon, “When sunlight passes through water, light kind of… separates.”  
Asriel looked down at the drawing, listening to Chara, “Separates?”  
Chara nodded, “You know that most light is kind of clear or yellowish, right?”  
Asriel nods, “Mh-hm.”  
Chara moved onto the orange line, “Well, light is actually made up of many different colors, and water can separate it.”  
Asriel scratched his head, “I think I understand, so where does the rainbow come in?”  
Chara moved onto the yellow line, “The rainbow is the result.”  
Asriel smiled, “Oooooh, I see now!”  
Asriel paused then frowned, “I wish I could see a real one, but the one you’re drawing looks nice so far too!”  
Chara rolled their eyes as they started the green line, “It’s not finished.”  
Asriel pouted, “I know, but it still looks pretty!”

The two remained silent for a few minutes as Chara finished their drawing. Once completed, Chara held it up to Asriel and pointed at it, “This is a rainbow.”  
Asriel beamed, “Wow! That’s amazing!”  
Asriel gasped, “You said we only need water and sunlight to make a rainbow, right?”  
Chara nodded, raising an eyebrow before Asriel continued, “I think there are some places in Waterfall where sunlight peaks through! We might be able to find one there!”  
Asriel gasped again before he jumped up in down in excitement, “I can finally show you the pretty lights there too! And the garbage dump! This is so exciting!”  
Chara gave a laugh, “Calm down, you are going to wake your mother up.”  
Asriel blushed as he stopped jumping, rubbing the back of his head, “Hehe, sorry.”  
Asriel slowly took a deep breath in and out before speaking again, his voice calmer, “Let’s start with the rainbow, then see if we have more time?”  
Chara nodded, “A sound plan.”

They heard a knock at their door, “Chara, Asriel? Are you two up?”  
Asriel walked up to the door and opened it, “Sorry mom, did I wake you up?”  
Toriel smiled, her ear hair disheveled, “Yes, but I am glad for it; we all slept in.”  
Asriel blinked, “Really?”  
Toriel nodded, “Do not worry, it is still morning, but it is late morning.”  
Chara looked over at the two of them, speaking bluntly, “So, around ten o’ clock?”  
Toriel looked over at Chara and nodded, “Yes, a little after.”  
Toriel kneeled down, petting Asriel’s head, “I will warm up some pie for our breakfast; will you two wake your father?”  
Asriel nodded, “Sure, mom!”  
Toriel stood and looked over her children towards the middle of the room. She smiled as she saw the drawing, “Ah, Chara, did you draw that?”  
Chara nodded, “Asriel said they have not seen a rainbow before.”  
Toriel mused, “That is true; a rainbow is a rare thing in the underground.”  
Toriel reached her hand out, “May I see it?”  
Chara hesitated, but picked up the drawing and handed it to Toriel. Toriel examined the drawing and gave a proud smile, “I will put it on the fridge right away.”

Toriel then calmly walked to the kitchen. Asriel dashed out of the room in the other direction. Chara sighed before slowly following Toriel to the kitchen as she put the new picture on the fridge. She smiled before noticing Chara, “Good morning, Chara. Our slices of pie will be ready in a few minutes. Would you set the table?”  
Chara nodded, their expression neutral as they slowly gathered the plates. Toriel spoke up, “Oh, please leave the plates here. I will bring them with our slices of pie.”  
Chara nodded before placing the plates on the counter. They gathered up the forks and looked up at Toriel, “What about knives?”  
Toriel shook her head as she started to heat the first piece of pie, “They won’t be necessary. Just forks and napkins for now, Asgore will be here any second to start brewing the mint tea.”  
Chara nodded before walking into the living room and slowly set the table. As they finished, Asgore walked by, Asriel on his back. He set Asriel down in the middle of the living room, “There we are,”  
Asriel jumped off his father’s back, “You’re going to make the mint tea, right?!”  
Asgore nodded, “It will be just a few minutes.”  
Asgore calmly walked into the kitchen. Asriel sat in his usual spot and looked at Chara. Chara spoke, “So, why do you like mint tea so much?”  
Asriel shrugged, “I just do. It tastes good.”  
Chara paused, “I see.”  
Asriel smiled, “It’s ok, I’m sure you’ll like it. It’s not very complex, so it won’t be your favorite.”  
Chara mused, cupping their chin while putting their elbows on the table, “As long as the flavor is not overwhelming.”  
Asriel shrugged, “I don’t think it is.”  
Chara sighed and refused to respond. After a few minutes, Toriel and Asgore returned to the living room. Each held a tray; Toriel holding a tray with everyone’s pie, and Asgore holding a tray with the teapot and teacups. Each tray was placed on the table, and the two gently placed one teacup and one piece of pie for each member of the family. They each started to eat, Chara taking a sip of the mint tea. They shrugged, “Not my favorite.”  
Asriel frowned, “Thought so, it’s okay though, right?”  
Chara nodded, “Yes.”

Asriel looked over towards Asgore, “Hey, dad, Mr. Gaster’s coming back tonight, isn’t he?”  
Chara was about to take a bite of their pie, but put the fork down at the mention of the Royal Scientist. They frowned, not saying anything. Asgore kept a firm face and tone, “I believe so, but do not worry, Chara; I meant what I said.”  
Chara nodded silently before Toriel spoke, “What are you two planning to do today?”  
Asriel perked up, “We’re going to find a rainbow!”  
Asgore chuckled, “Like the one Chara drew for you?”  
Asriel nodded, “Uh-huh!”  
Toriel smiled, “Waterfall is more populated than Snowdin; please remember to be careful.”  
Asriel nodded, “I will!”  
Chara spoke plainly, “I will as well.”  
Toriel nodded, “Use the tall grasses, darkness, and water to hide, and remember; if you are spotted, come home immediately.”  
Asriel smiled, “We know, mom.”  
“I just want to be sure.”  
Chara sipped their tea before they spoke, “We will be fine; you just said it is dark in Waterfall.”  
Toriel nodded, “That is correct, but many monsters have adjusted to this darkness in many ways.”  
“How populated is Waterfall?”  
Asgore scratched his beard, “Hmm… maybe…. two hundred? It has been some time since I’ve checked the population ledgers.”  
Toriel frowned at Asgore, “Then we will go through them today,”  
Asgore let out a nervous chuckle, “Yes… we should…”  
Asriel giggled, “Dad’s in trouble!~ hehe!”  
Chara let out a small laugh, “Indeed he is.”


	14. Waterfall Woes

Chara grabbed their new hat, adjusting it on their head with a smile. Meanwhile, Asriel packed the backpack once again with two pieces of pie, the cell phone, and other various things. He then put the entire thing in an enclosed plastic bag, sealing it tight. He then swung it on his back, beaming, “Ready!”  
Chara stretched upwards, “I am as well.”  
Chara and Asriel exited their room to see Toriel waiting for them at the front door. She smiled at the two of them, “Be safe.”  
Asriel nodded, “Don’t worry mom, we will!”  
Toriel nodded, “I have a few small errands to run, so if anything happens, call Dr. Ga-“  
She paused, her expression fading slightly before she bit her lip. She then smiled, “I… I think these errands can wait. Let’s all go together.”  
Asriel frowned, “Are you okay, mom?”  
Toriel nodded, “Yes.”  
She then perked up, “Well, if I accompany you, I should pack my own slice of pie.”  
Asriel nodded, “Okay, we’ll wait.”  
Toriel headed for the kitchen quickly, but as she went out of earshot, Chara whispered, “Are you sure about this?”  
Asriel nodded, “She’ll keep us safe,”  
Chara frowned, stressing their words, “But she will find out about Riverperson.”  
Asriel frowned, “I know, but I don’t think it’s rude to bring another person, is it?”  
Chara paused, holding their chin with a few of their fingers, “I suppose not.”  
Asriel smiled, “Then we’ll be fine.”  
Chara sighed, “Very well.”

Toriel soon returned, holding a new container of snail pie with a plastic fork, “Asriel, may I have the backpack?”  
Asriel nodded, handing the backpack over to Toriel. She quickly packed the pie into the backpack before securing the backpack on her back, adjusting the plastic bag in order to do so. She smiled, “There, now you two can run and play as much as you want.”  
She approached the door, opening it for Chara and Asriel. Chara stepped through first, then Asriel, with Toriel closing the door and locking it behind her. They all calmly walked through the grey hallways and the Core, the scientists only taking notice of Toriel as the three walked by. Most of the walk was silent, until they started to pass by Gaster’s lab. Chara saw the massive building before quickly averting their eyes from it. Toriel frowned, quickly noticing this; she gently rubbed Chara’s back. Chara looked back at Toriel, slightly confused until Toriel spoke, “I am here for you, I am sure there is another way.”  
Chara nodded, but said nothing as they approached the fork in the road. They took the usual path to the river, in which Toriel raised an eyebrow, “What is down here? The path to Waterfall was back there.”  
Chara spoke, “Trust us, this is faster.”  
Toriel raised an eyebrow, “Alright.”

The three slowly went down the stairs, the river in full view; Riverperson was not there. Chara approached the bell and rung it without hesitation; Riverperson came within a few seconds. They looked at their newest arrival and gave a slight bow, “Ah, Queen Toriel; I did not expect you to grace by boat.”  
Toriel smiled back, her voice firm but friendly, “Greetings, you must be the Riverperson. Asriel and Chara told me of you, but they also said that it would be rude to explain who you were. Would you be so kind as to explain why?”  
Riverperson nodded, “Tra la la, I am who I am, but it is not rude to know of me; little Asriel and Chara were just being cautious.”  
Toriel raised an eyebrow, “Cautious of what?”  
Riverperson stood tall, “During our last trip together, we had a rude guest accompanying us. Said rude guest will not see my boat again.”  
Toriel nodded, “I see. Well, I did tell them to be careful.”  
“Always a good thing. Now, where would you three like to go?”  
Chara approached, giving a light bow, “We would like to go to Waterfall.”  
Riverperson nodded, “Very well, please step carefully.”  
Toriel reached her hand out towards her children, “Here, use me to balance.”  
Chara shook their head, “I will be fine.”  
They stepped onto the boat carefully and stood near the center. Asriel hesitated, but looked up at Riverperson nervously, “H-hello, again.”  
Riverperson nodded, “Hello again, little Asriel.”  
Toriel frowned, “Are you okay, Asriel.”  
Asriel quickly nodded, “I’m fine, I just… have some trouble getting on the boat sometimes!”  
Toriel nodded, “Take my arm.”

Asriel did and with Toriel’s aid, made it onto the boat. Chara chose to stand near the center, while Asriel sat near the back and Toriel sat near the front near Riverperson. Once all three passengers were settled, Riverperson faced forward once again, “To Waterfall.”  
The boat moved once again, gently flowing with the current. Toriel marveled, “This is a nice way to travel, have you been ferried by Riverperson all this time, Asriel?”  
Asriel scratched his head, “Um… I think I found out about them about… two years ago?”  
Riverperson spoke, “Indeed, it has been two years and four months since I have started to ferry you,”  
Toriel looked up at the Riverperson, “Thank you for helping him, how much do these trips cost?”  
Riverperson spoke, still unmoving, “Not a thing; little Asriel’s smile from his adventures are more than enough. It is only the rude ones that pay a price, and your children have been anything but rude.”  
Toriel smiled, “That is good to hear.”  
“Tra la la, your stop is soon.”  
Asriel and Chara stood, Chara peaking off the side of the boat. They squinted, trying to see their stop in the low light of the cavern. They saw a small area, much like the Hotland riverside, but darker and more enclosed. When the boat pulled up to the stop, Chara noticed that the entrance led to a long, dark tunnel. The entire area seemed dark, but a gentle blue light flowed through the area from very small crystals in the walls; just enough to see.

Toriel stepped off the boat first and offered her arms to Asriel and Chara to help them off the boat. Both Chara and Asriel accepted the help. They turned back toward Riverperson, Chara giving another light bow, “Thank you, Riverperson.”  
Riverperson looked towards Chara, “You’re welcome, Chara.”  
Toriel nodded, “Thank you; I am sure we will require your services again in the future.”  
Riverperson bowed lightly toward Toriel, “It would be an honor, Queen Toriel.”  
Toriel gave a light laugh, “Toriel is enough.”  
Riverperson nodded, “Very well. Until we meet again, farewell, Toriel, Chara, little Asriel.”  
Asriel perked up and gave a small wave before Riverperson’s boat floated into the air and ran off. Toriel gave another small chuckle, “Such a strange but kind monster.”  
Asriel frowned and nodded, “Uh-huh.”  
Toriel held out her arms once again, “Would you two like to hold my hand?”  
Asriel nodded and held Toriel’s right hand. Chara lightly shook their head, “I will be fine, and you need the hand for a flame to light our way, correct?”  
Toriel blinked, a face of realization, “Oh, that would be a good idea.”  
Toriel summoned a bauble of flame from her left hand before she looked down at Chara, “Stay close to me,”

The three of them started to walk until they made it to a fork in the road, three ways to go. Asriel scratched his head, “Hmm, I think one of them was… this way?”  
Asriel pointed towards the right and started to walk. Toriel spoke, “I am not sure this is the way, but we can try.”  
Chara soon noticed some plaques on the walls, “Wait.”  
Toriel turned and illuminated the plaque with her flames, “Oh, the plaques. They may not make sense unless you read them from the very beginning of Waterfall from the direction of Snowdin.”  
Chara squinted at the plaque and read it aloud, “Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we were trapped by the humans. With a spell unlike any we’ve seen, we were sealed underground. Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a powerful soul can leave.”  
Asriel nodded, “It’s our history again.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, looking up at Toriel, “What does it mean by a powerful soul?”  
Toriel sighed, “Dr. Gaster’s current theory is if a monster absorbs a human soul rather than consuming it, that monster will not only gain great power, but will also be able to cross the barrier.”  
Chara’s eyes widened, their hand instinctually gripping their shirt, “With… just one soul…”  
Toriel frowned, “Do not ever think about that, Chara, we would never do such a thing to you.”  
Toriel then motions to the next plaque, barely in sight, “That next one states his current theory on how to break the barrier.”  
Chara approached the next plaque, once again reading it aloud, “If a huge power, equivalent to seven human souls, attacks the barrier, it will be destroyed.”  
Chara looked down, “Seven… I see.”  
Toriel kneeled down, “It would take a long time; you are the first human to fall down here.”  
Chara balled their hand into a fist, “That we know of.”  
Toriel raised an eyebrow, “What?”  
Chara looked over at Toriel with a stern gaze, “Whose to say another human didn’t fall before I did, and weren’t just eaten body and soul?”  
Toriel paused, frowning, “Well… that is a good point. I doubt many monsters would resist eating any human that falls down completely.”  
Asriel raised an eyebrow, “We could eat souls, too?”  
Toriel nods, turning her gaze toward Asriel, “Yes, but if we simply eat them instead of absorbing them, then we would gain no power, and the soul… well, I am sure I do not need to explain what would happen.”  
Chara nods silently. Toriel stood and they started to walk again through the tunnel towards the final plaque in the hallway. She motions toward it, “That plaque does not hold any information,”  
Chara looked at it and smirked, “Me being here proves it wrong.”  
Asriel nods, “Yea, I wonder if there are any other large holes to the underground.”  
Toriel shook her head, “As far as I am aware, there are none except the one Chara fell through.”  
Asriel scratched one of his ears, “So only Home…”  
Toriel continued, “If there are anymore, I would like to know of them. I would hate to see anymore children falling down here only to be eaten.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “And if the human were an adult?”  
Toriel paused, her expression unsure, “Let us… put this topic aside for now.”  
Asriel frowned, “Okay.”  
Chara sighed, but accepted it.

Before long, the three of them heard a voice in the darkness. Toriel immediatly reacted, “Stay behind me.”  
Chara and Asriel nodded, Chara stood behind Toriel and Asriel behind Chara. They walked close in a single file but were careful as they approached the voice as it echoed out once more, “tEm! WhErE ArE YoU!?”  
The voice sounded distressed, giving out sobs in-between the calls. Asriel frowned, “It’s crying…”  
Toriel spoke, “Both of you stay here, I will go see what is wrong.”   
Asriel nodded, “I’ll stay here with Chara.”  
Toriel nodded then headed towards the source of the sobbing. She walked slowly, still keeping the bauble of flame in hand. The figure gasped in the darkness, “wHo yU?”  
It ran up, revealing itself to be a temmie. Tears were streaming down its face, it’s eyes puffy and its paws swelling slightly, “cAN U HaLP tEm?!”  
Toriel leaned down towards the temmie, “Of course, what is wrong?”  
The temmie sniffed, “tEm cAnT FInD tEm!”  
Toriel gently petted the temmie, “You cannot find your friend? What happened?”  
The temmie continued, “tEm WeNt Go fInD PweSSouS TwESSuRE, tEm nO CoME bAck! tEm BeEN gONe TwO DaYs nows!”  
The temmie wept, “tEm WuRRiED BoUt tEM!”  
The temmie cried into Toriel’s chest, and Toriel gently hugged the temmie as darkness engulfed them. Toriel patted the temmie, “Shhh, it will be okay. I am sure your friend will be found.”  
The temmie looked up at Toriel, “cAn U hAlP tEm?”  
Toriel nods, “Of course, I will keep an eye open for your friend.”  
The temmie gave a huge grin, “ThAnK yU! tEm Go tEll oThUr FwieNDS!”  
The temmie scurried off into the dark tunnels, leaving Toriel with a worried frown. She spoke, “I hope they find their friend…”

She quickly hurried back to Chara and Asriel with the flame reignited and a smile, “It is alright now; a monster was looking for their friend.”  
Asriel frowned, “What happened to their friend?”  
Toriel spoke worriedly, “They said their friend has been missing for two days now since they went looking for a precious treasure of theirs.”  
Asriel mirrored the worry, “That’s awful! We have to help!”  
Toriel nodded, “I’m sure we could find some clues along our way, especially with our flames.”  
Asriel nodded, “Don’t worry mom! If you get tired, I’ll light our way!”  
Toriel smiled, “Thank you, Asriel.”  
Chara looked down the tunnel, “So, this monster was lost… this way?”  
Toriel looked down the tunnel as well, “It is a place to start. Perhaps they got tangled in the glowing grasses, or lost in the more crystalline part of Waterfall.”  
Asriel perked up, “Those are just ahead, right?”  
Toriel nodded as they all began to walk, once again in the single file line as before, “Just stay behind me, the path ahead can get thin.”  
Chara nodded, “Okay.”

They continued to walk along the path until they came across the glowing grasses path, already lit by the temmie. Chara noticed there were two paths, “Why are there two paths?”  
Toriel chose the left path from their view, “There are many, but they start with these two.”  
Asriel gave a light chuckle, “Yea, you really can get lost in here.”  
Toriel nodded, “I am starting to think that is what happened, but two days is quite concerning.”  
Chara spoke plainly, “What is the longest you’ve heard of a monster going missing?”  
Toriel spoke, worry still in her voice, “Only a day or two, as there are only so many places to hide in the underground. This is not the longest, but usually missing monsters are found in a matter of hours.”  
Asriel gave a sigh of relief, “That’s good to hear.”  
Toriel paused slightly, “Careful here, Asriel, it is wet for some reason.”  
Asriel nodded, “Maybe an Aaron was sweating here recently.”  
Chara stepped into the wet area, “What’s an A-“  
As soon as Chara stepped into the wet area, something jumped from below Chara. The creature glistened in the firelight, it’s appearance slimy, gelatin covering a worm-like body. Within this body, was Chara, shock and confusion upon their face before panic. They wrapped their hands around their throat and curled up. Toriel immediately turned around and gasped before screaming out, “CHARA!”


	15. New Scars

Asriel screamed out as well before lunging forward, trying to dig into the new monster to save Chara. His claws passed through the monster with some resistance, but he pulled away in a cry of pain, “OW!!”  
Asriel looked down at his hands, instinctually shaking. In Toriel’s firelight and the low light of the grass below, Asriel saw that some of his fur had been singed; some of this down to his skin. He looked up and saw Chara inside the monster, curling up and shaking. After a few seconds, he saw their clothes, hair, and skin start to singe as well.  
Toriel frowned, looking down at the monster, the flame in her hand growing in size. Despite this, darkness seeped into her voice, “Spit them out. Now.”  
The monster hissed at Toriel, baring the fangs at the top of its form. Asriel reeled back, still shaking from his singe, but Toriel didn’t budge. She sighed, closing her eyes and giving a solemn expression, “Then you leave me no choice, I am sorry.”

Toriel threw the flame towards the monster, causing it to reel back and screech. It started to move before Toriel threw another flame in its path, “Asriel! Do not let it escape with Chara!”  
Asriel perked up, “Right!”  
Asriel quickly summoned flames and started to throw them at the monster. The monster quickly slithered across the floor of the tunnel, trying to escape with its meal. It continued to hiss at Toriel and Asriel as the two chased it into the tunnels. After a minute, the monster found itself at a dead end. It started to scurry around the dead end, lightly digging into the earth before another fireball was launched next to it. It looked behind to see Toriel and Asriel blocking the only exit. Toriel frowned, “I will ask you one more time. Spit them out and you may leave with no further injuries.”  
Asriel frowned, only concentrating on Chara. By this point, Chara’s motions were slow and their muscles more relaxed. They no longer had their arms around their throat but their mouth was still closed. Their clothes started to have holes in them along with their skin, causing blood to slowly flow around them.

The monster slumped over for a second before a strange noise emerged from it. A sound of gagging and light retching. Chara slowly rose to the top of the creature before being put down outside the monster’s body. The monster quickly retreated, digging into the ground as Chara’s blood started to hit the ground. Asriel and Toriel quickly rushed to Chara’s side. Toriel began to rhythmically press her hands against Chara’s chest, “Chara!”  
Asriel kept a flame out as Toriel continued to attempt to resuscitate Chara, his voice starting to crack, “You’re okay now, Chara… Please… wake up.”  
Toriel started to lower herself towards Chara’s head and paused mere inches from them. Her body shook and she quickly pulled away, covering her mouth with her hands. Tears started to stream from her eyes, but she said nothing. Asriel stood there, confused, “Mom?”  
Toriel wept, “I’m sorry, Asriel… I don’t know if I could control myself if… if I…”

Asriel frowned, looking down at the still unconscious Chara. It only took a moment for Asriel to make a decision. Asriel quickly leaned down, breathing in before parting Chara’s lips and locking their lips with theirs. Asriel breathed in twice, each for a second before pulling back. His lips tingled, the acid from the monster still on Chara’s body. Along with it, splotches of blood stained the fur around his lips. He didn’t care. Asriel immediately pressed down rhythmically on Chara’s chest, just as Toriel did before, before breathing into Chara once again. It took a few rounds but eventually, Chara coughed heavily. Toriel and gave a great sigh of relief. Asriel beamed and tackled Chara, “Chara!”  
Asriel gave Chara a hug while they were still on the ground. Chara gagged for a second, “Get off! Can’t… breath.”  
Asriel pulled away and closed in on himself, covering his mouth with his hands, “Sorry-“

Asriel stopped, a shocked expression leaking through his budding tears. He pulled his hands away and stared at them in absolute horror. Blood stained his fur, and he felt it upon his lips. Tears streamed from his eyes before he started to sob, “I’m sorry.”  
Toriel looked down at Asriel in shock as he continued to apologize profusely and fall to his knees. She looked between her children and quickly scooped them up in each arm. She ran, small bits of Chara’s blood dripping behind them. She ran through the grass-lit tunnels before she made it to a small, shallow waterway. She slowly lowered Asriel and Chara into the shallow waterway before kneeling in the water herself. Toriel spoke softly, despite her shaking as well, “It’s going to be okay. I promise. We’ll get you two washed and Chara bandaged.”  
Asriel still wept, “No it's not.”  
He looked over at Chara, “I broke my promise.”  
Chara frowned and nodded, understanding what they meant. Asriel sobbed once again into his now wet hands. Toriel continued to lightly splash him and Chara before rubbing the bloodstains out.

———————————————————————————

“There, much better.” Toriel smiled softly as her two, now dried and tended children. Asriel and Toriel held their now empty containers of snail pie while Chara sat away from the two of them, their own container of butterscotch pie emptied. Their body was covered in gauze, their clothes covered in holes and the colors faded. Asriel’s eyes were still red and puffy from only minutes ago, but tears no longer leaked from his eyes. His body still shook and he avoided looking at Chara, instead focusing his attention into getting every last scrap of snail pie. Toriel looked over at Chara, “We should be alright now.”  
Asriel shook his head, not saying anything. Toriel turned her head towards Asriel, “Asriel?”  
Asriel closed in on himself, “It’s not alright.”  
Asriel looked up at Toriel, “But-“  
“Asriel!”  
Asriel sighed before looking down at his hands, listening as Toriel continued, “You managed to carry Chara through the Underground while they bled. You managed to sleep in the same room as them without being tempted. You will get through this.”  
Tears once again peaked out from Asriel’s eyes, “But…. But…”  
Toriel quickly hugged Asriel, “I am sorry, Asriel… If I had not hesitated, you would have not…”

Chara stood up and slowly walked towards the two of them, limping slightly. Asriel saw them and stood, immediately turning away from them, “N-no!”  
Asriel tried to run, but Toriel stopped them, “Asriel. Please.”  
Asriel looked back, seeing Chara in front of him. He averted his gaze, “I’m-“  
“Stop.” Chara’s voice was cold. Asriel stepped back, surprised at Chara. Chara’s tone became lighter, “You saved my life. Both of you.”  
“But I could-“  
“Then why haven’t you done it by now?!”  
Asriel flinched before hugging himself, “Because… because I… I never knew what it was like.”  
“And?”  
Asriel blinked, looking up at Chara, “What?”  
“Did you _like_ it?”  
Asriel frowned, simply nodded, “It… it was the best thing I ever tasted in my life. My mouth is watering just… thinking about it.”  
Asriel grasped his arms pulling them towards himself, raising his voice as he continued, “But… but it’s you! I promised not to eat you, and I broke that promise! I…”  
Asriel lowered his voice, looking down towards his feet. His voice cracked as tears once again streamed from his eyes, “I’m scared, Chara; I don’t want to hurt you.”  
Toriel came in from the side and hugged Asriel, giving a calm smile, “You won’t. We will all ensure that, and you must help as well.”  
Asriel sniffled and nodded, but said nothing. Toriel sighed, “Perhaps… we should go back for now. I believe we could all use some time to rest in safety.”  
Asriel nodded, “But, what about the monster that went missing?”  
Toriel spoke, “We can come back in a few hours to aid with the search, but for now we all need to rest.”  
Chara sighed, “Back to Riverperson, then.”  
Asriel moaned lightly, “We never got to see a rainbow….”  
Toriel gently patted Asriel’s head, “I am sure we can find one next time.”

Asriel nodded before the three of them slowly walked back towards Riverperson’s Waterfall stop. The trip was silent, only punctuated by Asriel breathing heavily and the footsteps each of them took. Chara approached and rung the bell to summon Riverperson. It only took a moment for them to arrive. Riverperson crooked their head, “Oh my, what happened to you three?”  
Toriel frowned, “We had a bad encounter with a fellow monster…”  
Riverperson nods, “I see they tried to eat Chara.”  
Toriel nods but then pauses, “Wait… you… you know.”  
Riverperson nods, noticing Toriel’s gaze intensifying, “There is nothing to fear from this. I have no interest in attacking one of my kind passengers.”  
Toriel kept her intense gaze, “Now I understand. That rude guest you mentioned, they tried to eat Chara, didn’t they?”  
Riverperson nodded, “Yes.”  
Asriel looked up at Toriel worriedly, “But they protected us!”  
Riverperson spoke calmly, “If you do not trust me, then stay near me and I will distance myself from Chara. But I repeat myself; there is no need to fear from the knowledge that I know Chara is a human. I have no interest in neither eating nor harming them, so long as they stay polite while on my boat.”  
Toriel’s gaze calmed slightly, but she kept her tone, “And you swear by this.”  
Riverperson nodded, “I swear by this.”

Toriel’s posture and tone calmed, “Very well.”  
“Tra la la, do you wish to return to Hotland?”  
Toriel nodded, “Yes, we are in need of rest.”  
Riverperson nodded, “Then step aboard.”  
Toriel nodded before looking down at her children, “Do either of you two need help?”  
Chara nodded, “Yes.”  
Asriel quickly got onto the boat and at sat at the back of it. Meanwhile, Chara stepped onto the boat carefully, using Toriel’s arm to balance. They immediately sat around the center of the boat and gently rubbed their limping leg. Toriel sat near the front, near Riverperson, facing towards Chara, “Chara, do you need your gauze rebound?”  
Chara shook their head, “It will be fine.”  
Riverperson faced forward, “Back to Hotland.”

The boat gently started to move once again along the river, leaving the riverside entrance to Waterfall behind them. Asriel sighed once again, “Guess we’ll see a rainbow another day…”  
Riverperson crooked their head but continued to face forward, “Tra la la, you were searching for a rainbow?”  
Toriel nodded, “Yes, Asriel had never seen one before and he had thought Waterfall would be the place to find one.”  
Riverperson stood tall once again, “You are not wrong. On some smaller paths in Waterfall lie rainbows.”  
Asriel perked up, “You’ve seen one?”  
Riverperson nodded, “Yes. Do you wish to see?”  
Asriel nodded, beaming, “Yes!”  
The boat drifted towards a tributary of the river, “Then we shall find a rainbow.”  
The Dreemurrs look up, the cavern above them had large crystalline stalactites protruding from the ceiling. Asriel marveled at the sight, “Wow!”  
Toriel smiled, “I have not seen these before. This is wonderful.”  
Riverperson spoke, “Tra la la, this is only the beginning.”

The crystalline stalactites started to become more intricate, still far above the ceiling. Small droplets of water fell from a few of them, growing in number as they journeyed down the tributary. Eventually, mist formed upon the river, and Riverperson spoke, “We are close.”  
In the distance, small patches of sunlight peaked into the tunnel, through the mist and crystals, a rainbow formed. Asriel beamed, “There!”  
Asriel’s eyes became transfixed on the rainbow, tempted to jump up and down on the boat. Chara and Toriel were also fixated on the small, but beautiful sight. Even as they passed through the mist, rainbow swirled around them. It was a wonderful sight, not even Toriel had seen anything like it. Riverperson spoke, “Tra la la, the water is wet today, and wet water creates better rainbows.”  
The boat slowly exited the rainbow mist, causing Asriel to look behind them. He waved at it, “Bye!”  
Toriel and Chara gave a light smile towards Asriel. Both noticed each other’s smile and had a small laugh about it as well. Toriel gave a content sigh, “It is good to see you smiling again, Chara.”  
Chara’s smile dipped somewhat, but stayed, “It… it feels good.”  
Riverperson spoke, “Tra la la, a happy family rests better than a sad one.”  
Toriel nodded, “Indeed.”

—————————————————————————

Toriel, Chara, and Asriel made it back home in the early afternoon, all weary from what had happened. After closing the door, Toriel looked down at Chara, “Chara, I insist that we change your gauze before we all take a nap.”  
Chara sighed, “Very well.”  
Toriel looked back at Asriel, “Go and rest.”  
Asriel nodded before entering his and Chara’s room, closing the door behind him. Toriel led Chara into her room and closed the door, turning on the lights. She spoke as she approached her drawers, “Please remove your sweater and pants.”  
Chara nodded, undressing down to their underwear and stained gauze, the process was slow as they tried to remove their clothes over their chemical burn-like wounds. Once their clothes were removed, they sighed with relief before examining the clothes. The colors were fading, and the clothes were full of holes. Chara tossed said clothes away from them and stood tall with their arms out, waiting for Toriel, “Will it hurt again?”  
Toriel approached Chara with gauze and a tube of ointment, “Unfortunately, but this time I will be able to apply ointment to your wounds.”  
Toriel slowly unwrapped Chara’s gauze and held the gauze before burning them. She quickly went to the door and took a deep breath, “I am sorry, Chara, this is… difficult for me. I am glad you trust me with this.”  
Chara relaxed their arms, but made sure that their skin didn’t touch, “Do you need a minute?”  
Toriel nodded, “Hold on, I believe I have some scented candles around here,”  
Toriel dug through her drawers for a few seconds, “Hmm, not here…”  
Toriel approached the door, “I will be right back.”  
Toriel left the door open as she exited the room, searching the house for any scented candles. The kitchen, the cupboard, the living room, it didn’t matter; no candles were to be found. With a resigned sigh, she returned to her room in only a few minutes, “No candles, but at the very least those few minutes cleared my mind.”  
Chara shrugged, “You could always get some.”  
Toriel nodded lightly, “Yes.”  
She unscrewed the cap of the ointment, “This will sting for a second for each wound,”

Chara nodded before Toriel started to apply the ointment. Chara hissed through their teeth but was able to relax after a few seconds. Toriel frowned as she continued, “Chara… I know you must be sick of hearing it but… I am truly sorry.”  
Chara muttered, “What are you sorry for?”  
Toriel sighed, “Asriel resuscitated you…. He only tasted you because I hesitated. I was scared that if I tasted any blood, then I would lose control.”  
Tears started to bud from her eyes, “I should have never hesitated… and now…”  
Chara looked up at Toriel in surprise and confusion. She sniffed, quickly wiping away her tears with her arms, “I… I will not dwell on the past; I can only help our future.”  
She frowned at Chara, “I am sad to say that we will have to keep an eye on Asriel from now on; he has never had anything other than snails before. We do not know what this could do to him.”  
Chara nodded, “I will mo-… Toriel…”  
Toriel smiled as she started to apply the gauze, “Take as much time as you need, though I am glad it almost became natural for you to call me your mother.”  
Chara bit their lip but said nothing before Toriel finished applying the gauze. Toriel smiled, “There.”  
She gabbed Chara’s clothes and sighed, “These are too damaged to repair by knitting…”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “You knit?”  
Toriel nodded, “Yes, I have knit many clothes for my family. Do you know how to knit?”  
Chara shook their head gently, “No… but I was once interested…”  
Toriel smiled, “How about I teach you after our nap?”  
Chara lightly smiled, “I would like that.”  
Toriel opened the door, “Do you need any help changing into pajamas?”  
Chara walked out of the door, “No, I think I will be fine.”  
“Have a good nap,”  
“You too.”


	16. Knitting and Forgiveness

In Chara’s sleep, their old living room appeared in their dreams once again. They sniffled, rubbing a fresh bruise on their right upper arm. Their father leaned down and scowled at this, “Who did this?”  
Chara sniffed, “D-Devon…”  
Their father sighed, “I’ll give his parents another call.”  
Chara nodded before wiping away their tears, “I-I’ll go do my homew-“  
Their father lightly patted their head, “No, Chara, you go and enjoy yourself. Relax, get better.”  
Chara gave a light smile, “Okay.”  
Chara sat on the living room couch and smiled before turning on the TV. They searched through some recordings as their father went into the kitchen to make a call. After a few seconds, Chara heard their father speak, “Yes? This is Chara’s father again. I’m calling to-… Yes, he did; I saw the bruises myself!”  
Chara sighed and turned up the volume of the TV, hoping in vain to not listen to the arguing. Their father continued, “I keep calling because your son keeps physically and mentally bullying my child!”  
Another pause, “Can YOU ever help what you are born with? My child should not be bullied over something that cannot be changed!”  
Another pause, “You take that ba-“  
The father groaned, “Damnit.”  
He entered back into the living room with a calming sigh, “That woman is crazy.”

Chara looked away, saying nothing as their father sat next to them. He frowned, leaning forward with his arm on his legs, “I’m sorry, Chara. I… I really do try to help your situation, but…”  
He sighed again, “Maybe your mother has the right idea, getting you those eye-changing contacts.”  
Chara frowns, “I don’t like them.”  
The father gave a small smile, “I don’t either; you should never have to hide who you really are. You’re not a monster.”  
Tears budded from Chara’s eyes, “They believe so.”  
Their father hugged them from the side, “You are not a monster. They are the monsters for treating you that way.”  
The two pulled away before the father continued with a smile, “I’ll always be here for you.”

Chara smiled before reeling back in horror. Within an instant, their father’s head had melted into a skeleton. Tears flowed from their eyes as they desperately tried to keep their father together by attempting to keep the melting flesh in place, but it was all for naught. Within seconds, the melting flesh disappeared into dust. Chara fell forward in the couch. They laid there, their tears streaming down their face as they wept heavily.

Suddenly, their world went dark, red and orange lights coming from outside the house. Chara perked up and ran to the door to see a mob approaching them, wielding guns, torches, and various other weapons. Chara’s eyes widened before they slammed the door and ran. The world around them turned to absolute darkness, with the only light coming from the torches and flashlights from the crowd behind them. Slowly, but surely, the crowd drew closer and closer, despite Chara’s running. They heard gunshots zip past them, causing them to cry out in fright. They looked behind themselves at the crowd, faces of anger, faces of the deranged, and of masochism. Chara gasped, turning forward to continue running. In the darkness ahead, two hands surfaced, and one managed to grab Chara by their ankle. They cried out as they tripped, looking back at the hand that held them tightly. From that hand, a form surfaced from the darkness; their mother with the chef’s knife embedded in her head. Her eyes were a void of blackness; that same blackness slowly oozed from her eyes and mouth while giving a wide, wicked smile. Blood dripped from the wound in her head, slowly melting into the black ooze.

She loomed over Chara, causing the ooze and blood to drip down onto them. Chara looked up at her, frozen as tears continued to stream from their eyes. The next thing they knew, the mob had caught up to them, all reaching out their hands towards Chara. The mob started to rip Chara apart, piece-by-piece. Chara screamed out in agony, unable to look away as they saw themselves be pulled apart. They had no choice but to look into the crowd in horror. They focused on three figures within the crowd, all of them holding parts of Chara’s body. The three sunk their teeth into these body parts, greedily devouring them before taking more from the crowd and repeating. Chara knew these figures well, and only cried as they saw the Dreemurr family slowly devour them.

——————————————————————————————

Chara woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. They looked over to their side to see Asriel still sleeping soundly, facing away from them in his own bed. They calmed down, slowing their breathing. They then looked over their bandaged body; they weren’t any more damaged than they were before their nap. They gave a sigh of relief upon seeing this. They got out of bed carefully, feeling some stress and pain from their wounds as they moved. They grunted slightly from that pain, but continued towards the door, still with the limp from before. The wood creaked slightly, but it wasn’t heard over Asriel’s breathing in his sleep. Chara reached the door and slowly turned the knob before opening the door slowly. The door slowly creaked, causing Chara to look back at Asriel in fear. Asriel didn’t react. Chara lightly sighed before exiting out of the room, closing the door behind them.

The first thing they noticed was that Toriel’s door was open and her room was dark. The second thing they noticed was the small of snail pie wafting from the kitchen. Chara walked into the living room to see Toriel sitting on her chair, reading a book. She immediately noticed Chara, “Ah, up already?”  
Chara stepped back instinctually, their dream fresh in their memory, though fading. Toriel stood, “Ah, I’m sorry; did I startle you?”  
Chara relaxed, closing in on themself, “Sort of.”  
Toriel frowned, “Another bad dream?”  
Chara nodded, but said nothing about it. Toriel sighed and approached Chara cautiously, “Let us put those thoughts aside, I believe we discussed teaching you to knit?”  
Chara nodded and approached Toriel as she removed a box from the bookshelf. She spoke, holding the open box in front of Chara, “What color would you like?”  
Chara looked into the box to see every basic color they could think of, they grabbed a ball of pink yarn on the top of the pile, “This will be fine.”  
Toriel nodded before removing large knitting needles from the box and handing them to Chara. She sat in her chair, “Here, sit on my lap.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Is that wise, considering my wounds?”  
Toriel smiled, “I will be fine, I ate the last piece of snail pie when I awoke, and I made sure to put a new pie in the oven immediately. But, if I start to shake, I will be sure to take a break outside.”  
Chara continued their skeptical look for a few seconds before Toriel continued, “It will be easy to teach you the basics this way. After that, it will not be necessary.”  
Chara sighed, “Very well.”

Chara climbed up onto Toriel’s lap cautiously, watching for any signs of danger. Toriel smiled, “Comfortable?”  
Chara nodded, “So, I hold the needles like this?”  
Chara held each needle in hand, pointing downwards at a slant. Toriel nodded, “Yes, but that is for much later in the process. First, we must secure the yarn on one of the needles. Pull a little over a foot of yarn out of a ball.”  
Chara put one of the needles down on their lap next to the ball of pink yarn. They then pulled out some yarn from the ball, almost two feet. Toriel nodded, “That is more than enough.”  
She then pointed to fifteen inches into the yarn, “Make a small loop there, then reach through with your index finger and thumb.”  
Chara nodded and did so, grasping the small bit of yarn at the other end before Toriel continued, “Good, now pull that string through and close the loop, but do not make it very tight.”  
Chara did so, “The needle goes into it, correct?”  
“Correct.”  
Chara threaded the needle into the hole and tightened the loop slightly before Toriel continued, “Are you right-handed or left-handed?”  
“Mostly right, but I can be both.”  
“I see, then hold your needle and hand like this.”  
Toriel gently guided Chara’s hand until they held the needle in one hand and much of the string in their grasp then wrapped around their index finger and thumb. Toriel smiled, “Now the most difficult part of setting up, looping the yarn onto the needles.”  
Chara nodded, “Okay.”  
“Now, loop the needle under the closest loop on your thumb, then under the strand on your index finger, then back through the loop on your thumb.”  
Chara struggled for a few seconds before following Toriel’s instructions, “Like this?”  
“Yes, that is it, very good. Now, practice that last step until you feel comfortable; you will be doing it quite a lot when knitting.”  
Chara nodded and continued, Toriel spoke, “Ah, not so tight,”  
Chara continued until they had looped twenty times, nearly filling the needle, “Will this be enough?”  
Toriel nodded, “For learning, for certain things, you would need more or less. I do have a book on knitting designs; it is how I learned how to knit for my family.”  
Chara grabbed the other needle, “I use this now, right?”  
“Yes, put the needle you were working on in your left hand, and hold that one with your right. Then thread the needle into the last loop you finished.”  
Chara did so, “I remember seeing this somewhere, I then loop the needle from under, then go into the loop on the left needle, correct?”  
“Yes, did you know someone who knit?”  
Chara hesitated, “M-my… birth… father…”  
Toriel frowned, “I see.”

Chara avoiding talking more and slowly knit the first row, “This is getting easier.”  
Toriel nodded, “It does get much easier as you go along, but this is not the only way to stitch, but by the point you feel comfortable in learning new techniques, you might be more comfortable to learn them on your own.”  
“Which books?”  
Chara immediately descended from Toriel’s lap, allowing her to stand. The two noticed the pink yarn ball lightly bounced and unwound a few feet in front of them. Toriel went to the bookshelf and grabbed three books from various shelves, “Here, these books. I have put them in order from beginner to more experienced. Though, some of the pages are fading, as I did find them in the Waterfall Dump.”  
Chara opened the first book, “A dump? Was it near where we were before?”  
“Yes, if we went the other direction at that first fork, we would have gone to the primary residential area of Waterfall. Just beyond that is the dump.”  
Chara slowly read the pages, “I would like to visit at some point.”  
“I’m sure Asriel would love to show it to you.”

Chara stopped reading and frowned, gaining Toriel’s attention immediately, “As, I’ve said… I am not sure what will happen to Asriel now that he has tasted blood, but he has been able to survive this long on snails alone.”  
Chara closed the book and looked up at Toriel, “What should I look out for?”  
“Well… loss of energy is a place to start, along with shaking and heavy breathing. Beyond that, I am not sure.”  
“And if he shows those signs?”  
“Call me immediately.”  
Chara sighed, “What if he starts to atta-“  
Toriel swiftly interrupted, her voice firm and commanding, “He will not.”  
A tense, awkward silence arose between the two of them. Toriel spoke much quieter after a handful of seconds passed, “I… I’m sorry. I want to believe in him, and… I think he would like us to believe in him as well.”  
Chara sighed, “It is not that I don’t want to believe in him.”  
“I know; every instinct in your body must be telling you that it was wrong to accept our adoption offer, especially after what happened today.”  
Chara nods, “That could be why I had that dream.”  
Toriel kneeled down, “It was just a dream; a culmination of your fears. It was not real, and it never will be real.”  
Chara closed in on themselves, hugging the books against them, “I hope so.”

“Chara had another nightmare?” A voice sounded from the entrance of the living room, one different than the two Chara had been with today. Toriel and Chara looked towards the entrance to see Asgore standing there with a worried expression on his face. Toriel stood tall once again, “Welcome home, dear.”  
Chara hesitated but greeted Asgore, “Welcome… home.”  
Asgore squinted his eyes towards Chara then flashed them open in shock, “What… what happened to you?”  
Toriel frowned, “We had an encounter with a moldbygg in Waterfall… they rose from the ground below Chara and…. ate them.”  
Asgore flew to Chara’s side and hugged them, “But you escaped, thank goodness.”  
Chara winced, “Still… hurts…”  
Asgore immediately pulled away, “I am sorry, that was… instinct.”  
Asgore then looked over at Toriel, “What happened? How did Chara escape?”  
Toriel calmly told the story; “Asriel and I immediately gave chase, eventually cornering it in a tunnel. I told it that if it spit Chara out, it would leave, and it did so.”  
Toriel frowned, a few tears budding from her eyes, “But, Chara… they were unconscious by that time. I went to resuscitate them but… I stopped…I wasn’t sure I would have been able to stop myself if I tasted their blood.”  
The budding tears grew to streams as Toriel wept into her hands, “Then… Asriel, he… he did it for me and…”  
Asgore’s eyes widened, “He…”  
Asgore immediately pulled Toriel into a hug, not allowing her to see his grim face, “It will be alright, Tori.”  
Toriel returned the hug, lightly sobbing, “I hope so,”

Asgore and Toriel pulled away from each other, giving each other a light nose nuzzle before pulling away fully. Asgore then looked down at Chara, noticing the books and the knitting needles, “Ah, is Toriel teaching you how to knit?”  
Chara nodded, “I believe I am picking it up quickly.”  
Asgore smiled, “Wonderful, I see you chose pink for your first project.”  
Toriel gave a calmer smile, “Have you given any thought on what you would like to turn that into?”  
Chara shook their head, “I have not.”  
Asgore kneeled down, “Well, there is no need to rush. I am sure what you choose will turn out wonderfully. After all, the lines you have made so far look wonderful.”  
Toriel kneeled down to examine Chara’s knitting, “They are very straight, you are a natural,”  
Chara bushed, “Th-thank you.”  
Toriel and Asgore stood, Asgore speaking, “I will change, and perhaps wake up Asriel.”  
Toriel shook her head, “Let him wake up on his own, he was very distraught by what had happened.”  
Asgore smiled before walking towards his room, “Alright.”

————————————————————————————–

By the time dinner had come, Chara had knitted a small cloth of pink yarn. Their attention was focused heavily on the knitting, stitching carefully but quickly as they sat on the floor near the fireplace. Beside them, one of the books was open to a page, and Chara kept glancing back at it every so often. Asgore was relaxing on Toriel’s chair while Toriel was in the kitchen preparing dinner.  
Suddenly, Chara was startled by the sound of a yawn coming from the living room entrance. They swiftly turned to see Asriel standing there, his fur greatly disheveled and stretching with his eyes closed. After he stretched, he opened his eyes, immediately seeing Chara. His smile descended, immediately averting his gaze. Asgore noticed this, “Ah, Asriel, how was your nap?”  
Asriel still averted his gaze, “Good.”  
Asgore stood, “It’s okay, Asriel. Chara has already forgiven you.”  
Asgore looked down at Chara, “Right?”  
Chara nodded, “You saved my life.”  
Chara then put down their knitting project onto the book, blocking the page, “And, if you think about it, you haven’t broken the promise.”  
Asriel looked at Chara, slight confusion and shock seeping into their gaze, “What? H-how?”  
“You promised not to hurt me.”  
Asriel was silent, tears then streamed from his eyes. He ran over to Chara and gently hugged them, “Thank goodness. I…I can’t believe I forgot that was the promise.”  
Chara gently returned the hug, “It…. Took me a while to remember as well.”  
Asriel pulled away, “So, um… I’m… I’m still going to be careful, though. I still don’t want to hurt you.”  
Asgore smiled and patted his head, “We will all figure out precautions from now on. You do not have to do this alone.”  
Asriel smiled up at his father, “Thanks, dad.”

A knock sounded at the door, causing Asgore to give a serious frown, “Chara.”  
Chara nodded and ran into the kitchen as Toriel was coming out. Asgore approached the door and opened it to see it was Gaster once again. He bowed lightly, “Greetings, Your Majesty, have I given you ample time to look over my proposal?”  
Asgore nodded, “Our answer is no, Gaster. Not with what it entails for Chara.”  
Gaster tilted his head in confusion, “What it entails? All that I have proposed is something I believe is fair.”  
Asgore’s expression became furious, but Toriel spoke before Asgore could, “You call killing a child ‘fair’?!”  
Gaster continued his confused expression, “…How much of the proposal have you two read?”  
Asgore spoke simply, “Enough.”  
Gaster frowned, untilting his head, “Clearly not.”

Gaster stepped into the home, “Where did you put the copies I gave you? I will walk you two through the proposal.”  
Toriel summoned a flame, “I think not.”  
Gaster paused, not amused by this situation, “There is no need for that, Your Majesty.”  
Toriel frowned, “It is when I am protecting my child.”  
Gaster frowned in worry, “You truly believe that human is your child?”  
Asgore stepped in, “We may not have been their birth parents, but we are their parents.”  
Gaster leaned over slightly and rubbed his temples, “You two are making it extremely difficult to do my job. The very job you two GAVE to me.”  
Toriel gave a somber frown as she dissipated her flame, “There are better ways than the sacrifice of a child.”  
Visible frustration seeped into Gaster’s expression and voice, “A HUMAN child. Do you not understand that even a mere blood sample could give all of monsterkind a chance to not starve to death down here?! Is that not what you wanted me to do?!”  
Asgore hesitated, “Well… yes, but-“  
Toriel interjected, “Would you be doing this if it was a monster child?!”  
Gaster nodded calmly, “If it will benefit monsterkind, then yes.”  
Asgore and Toriel’s mouths dropped before Asgore spoke in disbelief, “Do you even hear yourself?!”  
Gaster continued calmly, “I could ask you the same thing; you two are guarding the only _food_ that has been found within this mountain.”  
Asriel ran up and yelled out, “Chara’s not food!”  
Gaster looked down at the prince, initially surprised by his appearance into the conversation, but faded to a serious gaze, “To you, perhaps, but for those who have not been fed snails since their birth, humans are what we live off of.”  
He looked up at Toriel and Asgore, “Perhaps you need more time to remember that fact. Until then, farewell.”  
Gaster went to exit but stopped at the door, “And make sure the human is well fed, it would be a shame to lose it to disease or malnourishment.”  
Gaster closed the door, leaving the Dreemurr family alone once again.


	17. Dream Therapy

Asgore sat down at the table with a weary sigh, “He is gone, Chara.”  
Chara slowly exited the kitchen, seeing the Dreemurrs all with dejected expressions. Toriel sighed, “I… I cannot believe we gave such a monster a position…”  
Asgore looked up at Toriel, “We could not have known, and because of it, we now have another reason to never let him near Chara.”  
Toriel looked over at Chara, “Promise me, if he ever approaches you when you are exploring the underground, you must avoid him. Run from him if you must. If you cannot, then call us _immediately_.”  
Asriel nodded, “Don’t worry! I’ll protect them from Mr. Gaster!”  
Chara gave a look of uncertainty, “However… would it not be wise to… arm myself?”  
Asgore raised an eyebrow in concern, “What do you mean?”  
Toriel sighed, “Chara, I do not like the idea of you carrying a weapon.”  
Asgore spoke grimly, “It would make more problems than solve them; if any monster saw it, they would likely attack.”  
Chara pouted, raising their voice, “Then what am I suppose to do? There _will_ be a time that none of you will be able to defend me. It would be wise to prepare for that inevitability.”

The Dreemurrs were silent for a moment all pondering this with a grim expression. Toriel broke the silence with a sigh, “Very well, but we will not start with weapons and we will wait until the wounds you received today are healed. And you must promise to only defend yourself, never be the one to initiate the fight. Is that acceptable?”  
Chara nodded, “It is.”  
Asriel pouted, “I guess you’re stuck inside for a couple of days… and there’s still so much to show you!”  
Asgore stood, a smile finally gracing his face, “There will be time for that later, the nature of Chara’s wounds are more serious than when they first fell.”  
Toriel smiled, “This will also give time for you to work on your knitting, Chara. And no need to worry, Asriel, I can start tutoring you again.”  
Asriel moaned, “Aww, mom!”  
Chara stifled a chuckle before Toriel spoke to them, “You should join them as well.”  
Chara reeled back slightly, “Well… I…”  
Asriel chuckled lightly as well, “When mom says stuff like this, we have no choice.”  
Chara relaxed and sighed, “I suppose not.”

—————————————————————————————–

The night went by peacefully, without any other disturbances. Before the Dreemurrs went to bed, they lit various torch sconces, drenching the home with low firelight and the smell of flames. Chara settled in bed, both Toriel and Asgore tucking them in. Chara spoke, “Is it wise to let those flames stay lit?”  
Asgore spoke, lightly patting the bed to get rid of creases, “It will be fine; as soon as we truly fall asleep, they will fade on their own.”  
Chara mused, “Your magic fades when you sleep.”  
Toriel nods, her eyes slightly weary, “Yes,”  
She smiled down at Chara, “Goodnight.”  
Asgore shared the smile, “Goodnight, Chara.”  
The two went over to Asriel, who was already asleep. Toriel gave a quick kiss on the check, speaking softly to him, “Goodnight, Asriel.”  
Asgore mirrored his wife’s goodnight before he turned off the light, allowing the nightlight to give off its soft light. With a smile, the two walked out of the room and carefully closed the door.

Chara easily drifted off to sleep, suddenly appearing in front of the fireplace at their new home. The voices of their family were lost on them, but they somehow enjoyed the words nonetheless. There were even a few laughs now and again.

A knock sounded at the door, causing the entire family to look towards it. Asgore stood and approached the door before slowly opening it. Darkness oozed from the doorway, slowly covering the house. The Dreemurrs all summoned flames and stood between Chara and the ever-darkening doorway. From that doorway, a familiar figure emerged; W. D. Gaster. He held a simple smirk upon his face and his hands in a tent in front of him. He shot a glance through the Dreemurrs at Chara, his eyes glowing blue and orange. Chara shook, clinging to Toriel, as she was the closest. Asgore lunged at Gaster, causing Gaster to slowly glance over at him. He flared his eyes and Asgore was caught mid-air by Gaster’s hand clones. The Dreemurrs reeled back in horror as Asgore was tossed into the darkness as if he were a ragdoll. Toriel and Asriel screamed out before each throwing their flames towards Gaster, who dodged them with ease. He slowly approached, keeping his eyes glowing and focused on his target. They continued to pelt flames towards Gaster, slowly backing up as Gaster continued to dodge. He focused his gaze on Toriel before hands appeared to toss her aside into the darkness. Chara quickly clung to Asriel, absolute terror on both of their faces. They soon felt their backs against the far wall, looking back at it for only a moment before returning their gaze to Gaster. His eyes flared once again, and hand clones grabbed Asriel, lifting him up. Chara swiftly grabbed onto his hand, trying to keep him near. Tears leaked from both of their eyes as they both struggled to keep hold of each other. Asriel spoke, his words the first ones that were clear in this dream, “I’m sorry, Chara.”  
With that, Asriel was ripped from Chara’s grasp and cast into the darkness. Chara took a few steps before they fell to their knees and wept. Their tears didn’t stop, even when they knew Gaster was looming over them. They felt Gaster’s hand clones grab and slowly lift them. Chara was turned towards Gaster, who chuckle darkly before he spoke, “Y O U A R E M I N E.”

————————————————————————————–

Chara awoke with a start, gasping and sweating once again. They felt tears against their cheeks and quickly wiped them away. They looked to the side to see Asriel getting up from his bed with a concerned gaze, “Another one?”  
Chara frowned and nodded, their voice cracking slightly, “Yes.”  
Asriel slowly walked over before hugging Chara, much to their initial shock. Asriel spoke calmly, “I… I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I want to.”  
Chara felt their tears peaking through once again, “I do not.”  
Asriel pulled away, showing tears peaking from his eyes as well, “You’ve had a bad dream almost every time you slept! Please! I want to help you!”  
Chara pulled away, curling up at the edge of their bed against the wall, “What could you do about them?”  
Asriel scooted over on the bed until he was against the wall as well, but kept some distance from Chara, “I could listen.”  
Chara lowered their tone, speaking through their teeth, “I do not walk to talk about them.”  
Asriel scooted closer, “But… mom and dad say it’s bad to keep things to yourself. Why can’t you talk about-“  
Chara glared at Asriel, tears flowing from their eyes and their voice raised, “Because I am scared of them!”  
Asriel flinched backward for a second. Asriel gave a concerned frown, “Are they that scary.”  
“Yes.”  
“How?”  
“I do not-“  
“Please, Chara, trust me. This will help. How about the one you just had?”

Chara closed in on themselves, “Well… this one was not… as… horrifying.”  
Asriel nodded, “Okay, what was it about?”  
Chara hesitated, “We were… talking by the fireplace… and there was a knock at the door…”  
“Then what? Who was at the door?”  
Chara bit their lip before continuing, “That scientist.”  
Asriel frowned, “Mr. Gaster?”  
“Yes. When he entered the house, it became dark and… he used those hand-clone-things on your father, tossing him aside as if he were a feather.”  
Asriel started to look nervous, covering his mouth in shock, “Wh-what happened next?”  
Chara sighed, the budding tears began to fall, “He… he slowly approached us. You and… you and your mother tried everything to defend us. But it was in vain.”  
Tears budded from Asriel’s eyes, “No…”  
“Your mother was tossed aside next, and we were against a wall. When he tried to toss you aside, I stopped it.”  
Asriel smiled and gasped, “You did?!”  
“Only for a few seconds.”  
Asriel shook his head, “No… no, this can’t be! What… what did he do to you?!”  
Chara shook, further closing in on themselves, “He… lifted me up and said… ‘You are… mine…’”  
Asriel quickly hugged Chara, “I promise that won’t happen! I’ll never let him take you! We’ll both get strong enough to make him go away! You’ll see!”  
Chara nodded, giving out a calming sigh, “You were right.”  
Asriel pulled away, raising an eyebrow, “About what?”  
Chara wiped away their tears, “Telling you about the dream did help somewhat.”  
Asriel beamed, “See? I told you! I know it’s reaaaally scary to talk about bad dreams, but you feel sooooo much better afterwards!”  
Chara nodded, “Perhaps I should consider your parent’s advice more often.”

Asriel frowned, “Speaking of their advice… don’t you need to change those bandages soon?”  
Chara shrugged, “Perhaps…”  
Chara then widened their eyes, “Can you… smell any blood?”  
Asriel shook his head and waved his hands, “N-no! That’s not what I meant!”  
He then sighed, calming himself, “I… I just don’t know how those wounds are treated.”  
“You are probably correct, but I believe your mom will have to reapply that ointment.”  
Asriel tilted his head, “Ointment?”  
Chara blinked, “Oh, you were not there when it was originally applied. Before she put on these gauzes, she rubbed some ointment on my wounds.”  
“Did it hurt?”  
Chara nodded, “A little, but it made the wounds stop hurting. Now they just feel… like they are there.”  
Asriel scratched his head, “I don’t get it.”  
Chara let out a dry chuckle, “It is a difficult feeling to explain.”  
Asriel grumbled, “Maybe I’ll ask mom.”

Chara looked over towards the door, “Speaking of her, I am surprised she did not hear us yelling.”  
Asriel jumped off the bed and started to walk towards the door, “I think we woke up really early again.”  
He yawned into his hand, “I’m still a little sleepy.”  
Chara lightly stretched, but stopped after only a second, “I am, too. Perhaps we should sleep a little more?”  
Asriel nodded, “I like the sound of that.”  
Asriel paused before he got into bed, “Um, Chara?”  
Chara gently put their bed covers over themselves, “Yes?”  
“If you… have another bad dream again… will you tell me? You don’t have to tell me about it…”  
Chara yawned, “Okay, I will.”  
Asriel smiled, “Thanks, Chara.”  
“Goodnight.”  
“Or good morning…. Hehe.”

—————————————————————————————

“Please pay attention, my children,” Toriel spoke calmly, sitting at her place at the table. Chara and Asriel sat at the table with a small stack of paper and a pencil in front of them. Toriel had her own small stack Asriel grimaced, “Do we really have to go back to lessons?”  
Toriel nodded, “Absolutely, you have not had any for a week because you found Chara. That is plenty of time.”  
Asriel pouted, “Fine…”  
Chara spoke up, “Miss Toriel-“  
Toriel looked over at Chara, “Oh, you do not need to call me ‘miss’, Chara.”  
Chara continued, “What subjects do you teach Asriel?”  
Toriel put a hand on the stack of books, “I have been teaching him reading and writing, along with some small lessons in mathematics and science.”  
Asriel moaned lightly, “I hate science.”  
Toriel spoke firmly, “Science is the basis of most learning. Many techniques in science can be applied to other subjects.”

Chara perked up, “Such as the scientific method.”  
Toriel blinked, “Correct, would you care to elaborate?”  
Chara nodded, “First, you make observations of your subject, those observations turn into questions and then you create a hypothesis.”  
Toriel nodded, “Those are the first steps, yes. Let us use a very simple hypothesis to walk through the rest of the method.”  
She turned towards Asriel, “Can you think of anything?”  
Asriel scratched his head, “Um…. The sun peaks through to the underground during certain times.”  
Toriel nodded, “That would be an observation. What would you like to know about it?”  
Asriel struggled, “Um… why it happens?”  
“There is a question. Now, why do you think sun peaks from the surface?”  
“Because…. There are holes in the mountain?”  
“There is out theory; sunlight peaks into the underground because there are holes in this mountain.”  
Toriel turned back towards Chara, “What are the next steps in the scientific method?”  
Chara spoke calmly, “Next, you test the hypothesis.”  
Toriel nodded, “And how would you do that with our example hypothesis?”  
“Well… I suppose we look where sunlight peaks through, and see if they come from the surface or from the electricity in the underground.”  
“Very good, now, what do we do with this information?”  
“You gather it together to form a theory, and you repeat the process until it becomes fact,”  
Toriel frowned, “I suppose humans have since refined the process since I have last heard of it, but that does sound correct.”  
Asriel gave a small smile, “I think I understand.”  
Toriel smiled, “Would you like to go through another hypothesis to make sure?”  
Asriel shook his head, “No, I think I got it.”

Toriel grabbed a book from the stack, “Very well, let us move on to the lesson I planned today. I thought it would be good to start with reading a book from the surface.”  
Chara looked at the book, “Is that “To Kill a Mockingbird”?”  
Toriel nodded, “Yes, have you already read it in your studies?”  
Chara shook their head, “No, but I think I was to read it for class within the next couple of years.”  
Asriel tilted his head, “Is it a good book?”  
Chara lightly shrugged, “I do not know, but it is well known.”  
Asriel mused, “Why?”  
Toriel opened the book, “Why don’t we read and find out?”  
Asriel nodded, “Okay!”

Toriel quickly put on her reading glasses, “Now, this is a book written by humans long after our kind was sealed, but still a long time ago. However, the lessons in this book are still important to learn. I will be asking questions after each chapter, so be sure to pay attention.”  
Chara and Asriel nodded before Toriel began to read the book to them.


	18. Rumors

Gaster sighed, sitting in his office, “This is going to be harder than I originally thought.”  
Sans groaned, “I’m going to say something you don’t like.”  
Gaster shot a glare at Sans, “Fine. Say it.”  
Sans shrugged, “Why not just take the brat and be done with it?”  
Gaster adjusted his position in his chair, “Because it would only give us the human temporarily, a day at most. That is not enough time to fully develop a substitute.”  
Sans grumbled, leaning forward in his seat and against Gaster’s desk, “It’s something, better than the nothing you have.”  
“I suppose you could look at it that way. Regardless, if we want to keep the human, we have to convince the king and queen that they are in the wrong.”  
“You’re just making it harder on yourself.”  
Gaster stood and spoke dryly, “Your concerns are duly noted.”

He approached his file cabinet and searched through it, “Perhaps my methods were too direct.”  
“What are you scheming now?”  
Gaster gave his assistant a light smirk before he pulled out a few manila folders, “Subtly.”  
Sans frowns, “How?”  
Gaster gave a small chuckle before he sat down, “Why, you of course.”  
Sans gave a light growl, his eye started to glow, “What’s that suppose to mean?”  
Gaster set the manila folders on his desk before scooting them over towards Sans, “I have an assignment outside the lab for you.”  
Sans calmed himself and grabbed the folders. There was a small wave of silence as Sans examined the contents of the folders. There were four of them, each holding details on a monster in the underground. After each of the folders were open, Gaster spoke, “Your job is to find these monsters and tell them to spread the news that a human has fallen.”  
Sans frowned, “So now you want everyone to know?”  
Gaster shook his head, “If I wanted that, then I wouldn’t be using such methods.”  
“So what _are_ you doing?”  
Gaster adjusted himself in his seat, leaning forward, “Spreading a rumor.”  
Sans widened his eyes slightly then smirked, “I see what you want now.”  
Gaster nods, “If you have to bribe any of them, note down the gold you use and you will be compensated for it.”  
Sans stood, quickly stuffing the folders into his lab coat, “Alright.”  
Gaster raised a hand, “One last thing. Don’t approach them with your lab coat on.”  
Gaster lowered the hand onto his chin, “Actually, try to hide your identity as much as possible. We must reduce the chance of this being traced back to us.”  
Sans rolled his eyes, “Fine.”  
Gaster smirked, “Off to work now.”  
Sans gave a light wave, “Yea, yea.”

He disappeared in an instant, teleporting back to his apartment in New Home. Papyrus was in his bed, sound asleep, the covers have covering his form. Sans quickly adjusted the covers over Papyrus, prompting a comfortable sigh from the sleeping brother. Sans then carefully dug through one of the cabinets, this one full of clothes. One side of the cabinet housed neatly folded clothes of reds, oranges, and fun designs. The other side was mostly full of lab coats, tossed in haphazardly or in jumbles. Sans dug through the pile of lab coats until he found a blue winter coat with a white faux-fur lining on the hood. He also grabbed some black shorts and a white tee from the pile, quickly changing into them. While changing he heard a weak groan, “Sans?”  
He turned once he was dressed to see Papyrus looking at him, his eyes half open and threatening to close again. Sans smiled, “Go back to bed, Paps; you had a big day at the doctor’s. The old man did a lot.”  
Papyrus nodded, “Where are you going so late?”  
Sans walked towards the door, hiding the manila folders in his coat, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it, and I’ll even be able to sleep here tonight.”  
Papyrus laid down, “Okay…. See you later…”

Sans nodded and teleported out of the apartment to one of the dark alleyways of New Home. He looked into one of the manila folders, taking in the image of the monster he was to find. It was a water elemental, often seen in Waterfall from his notes. He rolled his eyes, looking at the next one; a small bear-like monster with longer claws and small, metallic spikes on their back. He smirked, this one was often seen in New Home. He put the folders back into his coat and placed his hood over his skull before he started to walk into the crowded streets. A few stores were still open, mostly trinkets, clothes, and services. Many monsters walked around, trying to forget the pain they feel as they starve. Sans kept his eyes low, only looking into the crowd as he needed to. It was only when he came to a less busy street that he spotted his target slipping into an alleyway. Perfect. He slipped into the alleyway himself, following his target closely, waiting for him to be emerged in darkness or slip into a building. Luck gave him the former. Part of the alley ahead was dark enough to make the monster hesitate. Sans quickly teleported into the darkness ahead, quickly reverting his eyes to normal as to not give away his position. Once the monster was close, he spoke, “Hey there.”  
The monster immediately yelped before growling, “Who’s there? Show yourself!”  
Sans stifled a chuckle, “I’d be quiet if I were you, but don’t worry, I’m not here to harm you.”  
The monster relaxed slightly, trying to find Sans in the darkness. They hesitated in speaking, “Then… why are you here?”  
“I need you to spread some news for me.”  
The monster gave a light chuckle, “Spreadin’ a rumor, are we? Okay, fifty gold.”  
“Twenty”  
The monster growled, “Fuck your twenty gold, I’m outta here.”  
“Thirty, final offer.”  
The monster grunted, stopping himself from leaving, “Fine, show me the gold.”  
Sans lightly tossed thirty hold behind the monster, causing them to turn for a second but not pick it up, “Alright. What rumor do ya want me to spread?”  
“A human has fallen into the underground. It's been spotted in Waterfall but could be anywhere.”  
The monster laughed, “Okay, I’ll spread your stupid food rumor. Real cruel one, getting everyone’s hopes up while they’re starving. But I guess you’re starving too, so whatever.”  
Sans growled, quickly covering his eye before it began to glow again, “Just spread the damn rumor.”  
The monster took a step back, “Alright, alright; I got it.”  
The monster quickly scooped up the gold, “Dunno what you’re getting out of this, but it’s not my problem.”  
The monster looked around, expecting to hear the voice again, but Sans had already left. The monster sighed, “Welp, better get on it.”  
Sans stood near the alleyway, sighing, “One down, three to go.” 

—————————————————————————

Asgore gave a disheartened sigh, “My favorite sweater….”  
He looked down at his favorite pink sweater, torn on the side and starting to unravel in a few places. Toriel frowned, “It has been years, perhaps it was time for it to go.”  
Asgore frowned, “But I love my pink sweater.”  
Toriel smiled, “Well, Chara is working on a garment.”  
Chara immediately blushed and stopped knitting, “Well… yes… I am.”  
Asgore smiled, “Chara, did you notice?”  
Chara nodded, “It was looking rather worn out, and I wanted to challenge myself…”  
They mumbled, “It was supposed to be a surprise.”  
Asgore laughed, “Well, with my large form you have quite the challenge.”  
Chara nodded, “I cannot guarantee it will be done soon.”  
Asgore leaned down and smiled at Chara, “As long as it is made with love, it could be finished years from now.”  
Chara’s entire face flushed red, quickly hiding their face under their unfinished project. Asgore gave a small laugh and patted one of Chara’s shoulders, “I’m sure it will be wonderful.”  
Chara spoke, “Please stop.”  
Toriel approached Asgore, putting a hand on his shoulder, “Let them be, they are embarrassed we figured out who it was for.”  
Asriel perked up, “Are you going to make something for everyone?”  
Chara uncovered their face, showing a frown, “I do not know.”  
Toriel kneeled down towards Chara, “It is not necessary, make what you want. I will make what we need.”  
Chara spoke simply, “Thank you.”

Asriel frowned, staring off into space. Toriel looked over at him, “Asriel?”  
Asriel walked over to Toriel and whispered into her ear. Toriel blinked but then smiled at Asriel, nodding, “Then let us go.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Where are you going?”  
Toriel and Asriel headed for the door, “Just to New Home for a few things.”  
Chara gave a skeptical look, “I see.”  
Asgore smiled, “Do not worry, I will keep you company.”  
Chara nods, “Okay.”  
Toriel opened the door, “We will not be long. See you soon.”  
Asriel beamed and waved lightly, “I’ll be back soon!”  
Chara gave a light wave, “Goodbye.”  
Asriel frowned, lowing his arm, “But, it’s not goodbye; it’s ‘see you soon’!”  
Chara hesitated, “S…. see you soon.”

Toriel and Asriel walked out and closed the door, leaving Chara and Asgore alone in the living room. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before Chara continued with their project. Asgore quickly went back to his room to change into a new sweater. After changing, Asgore sat in his usual chair and went through certain papers from his work. Chara eventually took a glance at Asgore and spoke, “What are you… looking at?”  
Asgore looked up from his papers, “Reports from all over the underground.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “What kind of reports?”  
“Well… mostly…. Wellness reports and other such things.”  
Chara perked up, “Did they ever find that missing monster?”  
Asgore frowned, “Unfortunately not. It has been estimated that they starved to death and became dust.”  
Chara gave a small expression of worry, “They… died.”  
Asgore cleared his throat, “That is what we think happened.”  
Chara lowered their arms, “Will that…. Happen to you? Or to Asriel? Or to m-…. To Miss Toriel?”  
Asgore stood and went to Chara’s side, “It will be alright, we have made precautions to stop ourselves from starving. I can tell that our bodies are getting used to eating snails, rather than… well…”  
Chara’s voice dropped, “Humans….”  
Asgore frowned, “Do you… hate humans?”  
Chara nodded silently before Asgore continued, “I will not ask why, I can tell your life was difficult on the surface.”  
Chara bit their lip, “Please.”  
Asgore nodded, “I know, I will not pry.”  
Chara looked up at Asgore, “May I… have some of that favorite tea you like?”  
Asgore stood, “Of course, I will keep the pot warm for Asriel and Toriel when they return.”

———————————————————————————–

“Thanks for your purchase! Come again!” A peppy monster cheered as Toriel and Asriel existed their shop. Asriel beamed as he held a small box, clutching on to it. Toriel smiled down at him, “It was nice of you to think of this.”  
Asriel nodded, “I know they’re going to like it.”  
Toriel faced forward, lending an arm to Asriel, “I think they will as well.”  
Asriel took Toriel’s hand and held the small box tightly to his chest. The two walked through the crowd, not really listening to the crowd as they walked. The crowd paid them no mind, busily trying to get to their individual destinations. However, in the midst of the murmurs, Asriel’s ears perked when he heard one word. Human. He let out a gasp, trying to find the monster in the crowd that uttered that word, but every other monster in the crowd drowned out the noise. Toriel noticed, “Asriel?”  
Asriel frowned, looking up at Toriel, “I heard someone say…”  
He then motioned for Toriel to stop and lean down. She complied, lending Asriel an ear. He whispered in her ear, “I heard someone say human.”  
Toriel’s face immediately became serious and she whispered back to Asriel, “We will continue, listen to the crowd carefully.”  
A  
sriel gave a silent nod as they continued on their way. The two faced forward, but paid attention to the crowd’s murmurs. It took another minute or so before Toriel heard something, “I heard a human fell.”  
A second monster let out a gasp but tried to keep their voice down, “Really?! Where?”  
The first monster tried to keep their voice down, “I think I heard they were spotted in Waterfall.”  
“Waterfall, huh? Who’d you hear this from?”  
Toriel frowned, not able to hear the rest of the conversation. Toriel looked down at Asriel, “Someone knows.”  
Asriel frowned, but said nothing in return. The two picked up their pace to return home to share the news.


	19. Tying Loose Ends

Asgore stood from the table and raised his voice in shock, “Someone knows about Chara?!”  
Chara raised an eyebrow as Toriel spoke, “Yes, I am not sure how, but they do.”  
Asriel frowned, “Maybe it was that moldbygg?”  
Asgore calmed down, he scratched his beard as an uncertain frown graced his face. He mused aloud, “It might be possible, but there are few monsters who can understand them.”  
Chara spoke up, fully setting down their knitting project, “What about Gaster?”  
The Dreemurrs all gazed at Chara as they continued, “He knows about me.”  
Asriel frowned, “But why would Mr. Gaster do that?”  
Toriel raised an eyebrow, “To get the population on his side?”  
Asgore shook his head, “No if he wanted the population to truly know we had Chara, he would have made a public announcement.”

Toriel looked over at Chara, “Regardless of the reasoning, and regardless if this was his doing, the underground could potentially become much more dangerous for Chara.”  
Chara nodded, “Then it is good you have already agreed to teach me techniques to defend myself.”  
Asgore mused again, “Perhaps the timing is right-“  
Toriel whiped her head back towards Asgore, “Chara is too injured to be doing such strenuous activity!”  
Asgore gave a submissive glance, reeling back slightly, “I was not about to say that, I was about to say the timing is right concerning their injuries.”  
Toriel raised an eyebrow and approached Asgore, “What do you mean?”  
Asgore continued, “Rumors only last for so long. If Chara stays home for say…. A week, let us say a week. The rumor has spread, yes, but by that time many will have dismissed it.”  
Toriel sighed and gave a disappointed frown, “I… apologize, that is certainly a good point.”  
She sat down at the table, calming herself with the tea Asgore poured for everyone, “Regardless, we have to be sure not to react to these rumors unless they are brought to us.”  
Asgore nodded, “I had planned to do that.”  
Asriel pouted, “And I thought they were going to be stuck in here for a few days, but a whole week?”  
Chara gave a light chuckle, “The break would be nice, considering what I have experienced thus far in the underground.”  
Toriel nodded, “It has been fairly dangerous, and not even a week has passed since you have fallen.”  
Asgore gave a smile, “It is almost hard to believe it has not been a full week since we asked you to be a part of our family.”  
Chara nodded, “It has been an… interesting experience thus far.”  
Asriel approached Chara and frowned, “You don’t regret it… do you?”  
Chara frowned and lowered their head, “No. It sounds strange but… I do prefer down here.”  
Chara lowered their voice, allowing darkness to seep into it, “Humanity can die out for all I care.”

An awkward silence covered the living room, a small shock on each of the Dreemurr’s faces. Toriel covered her mouth, Asriel frowned, and Asgore spoke, “What… did they do to you up there?”  
Chara averted their gaze, “I will not tell. My dreams make me relive it more than I would like.”  
Asriel perked up, “Well… not that latest one!”  
Toriel stepped forward, a small smile blooming on her face, “Chara, you told Asriel about one of your dreams?!”  
Chara quickly glared at Asriel, but a second later, they softened their gaze and looked towards Toriel, “Yes.”  
Asgore frowned, “If this dream was not a memory, then what was it?”  
Chara bit their lip, “A fear.”  
Asriel quickly climbed on Toriel’s chair and sat next to Chara. He moved all of the knitting supplies out of the way and kept the small box hidden behind his back, “Do you want to tell them about it? Or-“  
Chara interrupted him, “Tell them. I do not want to repeat myself.”  
Asriel nodded before he turned his gaze toward his parents, whom by this time were kneeling next to the chair, “They dreamed that Mr. Gaster took them.”  
Toriel frowned, approaching Chara, “When was this? This morning?”  
Chara nodded silently before Asriel continued, “They said their dream that Mr. Gaster used those um…”  
Asriel waved his hands around, “Hand… thingies and tossed us all away from them.”  
Asgore frowned, “I do not think that magic is strong enough for lifting whole monsters, at least, I would hope.”  
Toriel frowned and spoke slowly, “Did you dream of what he would do to you?”  
Chara shook their head, “I woke up when he grabbed me.”  
Toriel sighed and lifted her hand towards Chara’s cheek. Chara accepted the pat as Toriel continued, “It is just a dream, and we will not allow that to happen.”

Asriel perked up, “Um…. Is he going to come here again, today?”  
Asgore stood, “I would assume so.”  
Toriel frowned and stood, “If so, then he will arrive around dinner.”  
Chara hugged themselves lightly, “Less than an hour.”  
Toriel blinked, “My, is it that late already?”  
She sighed, “Then dinner will have to be pie tonight.”  
Asriel smiled, “The pie is always good, mom!”  
Toriel smiled at Asriel, “Thank you, and thank goodness there is enough of the latest snail pie for all of us.”  
Asriel nodded, “And butterscotch-cinnamon for Chara, right?”  
“Of course, there is even one more for tomorrow morning.”

————————————————————————————  
A knock sounded at the door just as the Dreemurrs were cleaning the table from dinner. Chara tried to get up to hide in the kitchen once again, but Toriel spoke up, “Not this time. We know who it is and it would be for the best not to aggravate your wounds.”  
Chara relaxed in their chair and gave a silent nod. Asriel scooted their chair closer to Chara and grasped their hand. Chara smiled but kept an eye on the door as Asgore approached it, “Thank you, Asriel.”  
Asriel nodded silently as Asgore opened the door. He frowned at the expected guest, “Hello again, come in.”  
Gaster stepped into the house, closing the door behind him, “I see you have calmed down. Are you two ready to talk through…”  
His words trailed off as he spotted Chara, still covered in various gauze and bandages. He spoke curiously as he approached Chara, “What happened here?”  
Asgore walked with him, “A moldbygg nearly ate Chara.”  
Gaster gave a skeptical look, “It appears that the moldbygg was successful for a short time.”  
Toriel spoke up, “Their wounds are healing now, that is all that matters.”  
Gaster stopped just a few feet from the table, “What happened to the moldbygg?”  
Toriel’s voice turned firm, “It spit Chara out, so I let it go.”  
Gaster gave a small smirk, “Interesting.”  
Toriel glared at Gaster, “From what you have said yesterday, you are lucky we do not revoke your title, _Dr._ Gaster.”  
Gaster normalized his expression and turned towards Toriel, “I would personally be interested in the result of that. What other monster do you know has the knowledge and the drive to find ways in not only freeing us from this prison, but ensuring we all live to see that freedom?”  
Toriel hesitated, “Well… that…”  
Asgore interrupted by clearing his throat, “You certainly are the most qualified, but from what you said…. We are starting to question your methods.”  
Gaster gave a light chuckle, “If that is all, you are welcome to my notes in addition to my reports.”  
He eyed Asgore, “You have been reading them, correct?”  
Asgore blushed, “Most of them.”  
Gaster gave out a ‘tsk tsk’ noise, “Such a shame, but I suppose I cannot fault you for being busy running the kingdom.”  
Gaster eyed Chara, “And gaining a new…. Addition.”

Chara scooted closer to Asriel, grasping his hand tighter. Toriel frowned, “Gaster, you must understand; we do not care that Chara is a human. They are a child first and foremost and should be allowed to be such.”  
Gaster frowned, “I wonder, do humans do the same thing with their cattle?”  
“Excuse me?!”  
Gaster kneeled down towards Chara, “Tell me, _child_ , do humans treat infant cattle the same way they treat a human child?”  
Chara hesitated; they glared at Gaster as he approached. They scooted away once again, now causing them to be on the edge of their seat. Chara looked away, “No, they do not.”  
Gaster smirked, “Do you know what they do to a select few? No need to go into details. Just the result.”  
“… They…. They sometimes kill them as…. Calves.”  
Gaster stood, “As _children_ ; and for what purpose?”  
Chara bit their lip, “Food.”

Toriel stood, “That is enough!”  
Gaster nodded, “Yes, I believe I have made my point.”  
“Which has only made our stance more clear; you cannot take Chara.”  
Asgore nodded, “I am afraid I will have to start investigating your methods, Dr. Gaster, and search for a possible…. Replacement.”  
Gaster’s left eye twitched slightly, “If you two would just _listen_ , you could see-“  
Asgore shouted, “You have made yourself very clear, as have we!”  
Asgore calmed down, but kept his voice firm, “You will not come to our door regarding this matter anymore, and I expect your laboratory’s full cooperation in this investigation starting tomorrow. Do I make myself clear?”  
Gaster frowned and gave a quick glance towards Chara. His mind raced in that moment, but he then gave a sigh and closed his eyes before opening them again, locking his gaze with Asgore, “Very well, _Your Majesty_.”

Gaster left without a word, and the Dreemurrs gave great sighs of relief. Asriel beamed, finally letting go of Chara’s hand, “Way to show him who’s boss, dad!”  
Asgore chuckled nervously, “I certainly hope that was enough to scare him away.”  
Toriel approached her husband and nuzzled his nose, “You did wonderfully, Fluffybuns.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Are we sure he will give up this easily?”  
Toriel pulled away from her husband and frowned, “No, I do not think he will. I think he will use more…. Underhanded methods from now on.”  
Asgore sighed, “I fear the same; I just hope he does not tell the population that you are here.”  
Toriel reeled back, “Would he risk that?”  
Asgore frowned, “The population looks up to Gaster, much like they do to me. They look to me for guidance, but to Gaster for wisdom.”  
Toriel nodded, “Which is why you want to have an investigation first, rather than outright firing him.”  
Asgore nodded back, “I do not know what we will be able to find, if we can find anything. If not, then we will have to deal with the backlash of replacing him.”  
Asgore kneeled towards Chara, “But I know it will be something I can handle. I can do that, at the very least.”  
Tears peaked from Chara’s eyes, “Thank you.”  
Asriel gasped, “You’re crying!”  
Asgore smiled, “It is alright, Asriel. These are happy tears.”  
Chara nodded, wiping one away, “Indeed, they are.”

——————————————————————————————-

Gaster frowned as he trekked back towards his lab, but he kept himself calm. Silence pervaded his walk until he made it to the Core, where he was greeted with gasps and frantic assistants stopping at the sudden arrival of their boss. Gaster glared at them, “Back to work. Now.”  
They immediately dashed back to work, repairing and upgrading the Core. Gaster kept an eye on the progress as he walked through, not saying a thing to anyone. He didn’t even look at the form that appeared beside him, but he did speak to it in another language, “I told you not to teleport around other monsters, Sans.”  
Sans shrugged, speaking the same language to Gaster, “What? They’re all avoiding their gaze. I don’t see a problem.”  
Gaster gave an aggravated huff, “Fine,”  
Sans chuckled, “So, third time wasn’t the charm, huh?”  
“The king has decided to start an investigation into my methods. I will need you to make sure we have accident reports for all the interns that have _gone missing_.”  
Sans smirked, “Way ahead of you. Third cabinet, second drawer.”  
Gaster smirked, “I’m surprised you actually filed the proper paperwork after eating, did you have a meal today?”  
Sans grumbled, “Had to, the last one was nowhere near filling.”  
Gaster chuckled, “Well, I might have another snack for you.”  
Sans rolled his eyes and spoke dryly, “Wow, you’re actually feeding us for once. What a time to act like an old man.”  
Gaster frowned, “Merely tying loose ends; it appears a moldbygg was almost successful in devouring the human.”  
Sans’s eye flashed for a second, “What stole its meal?”  
Gaster rolled his eyes, “Whom do you think? The queen and the prince.”  
Sans frowned, “And here I thought things were getting interesting.”  
Gaster returned to his smirk, “I find it interesting; so I will find the moldbygg.”  
Sans gave a curious look, “You’re actually doing work outside the lab for once?”  
“Are you volunteering?”  
“No.”  
“Too bad, I am volunteering you now.”

Sans cursed under his breath before they continued onwards to Waterfall. The two easily saw through the darkness as they walked. After a while, Sans spoke up in frustration, still in the different language, “Are we seriously going to search all of Waterfall for this one moldbygg?”  
Gaster lightly shook his head, also keeping to the strange language, “I do not think that will be necessary. If I am correct, we should easily find signs of it.”  
The two entered the area with the glowing grasses, causing Sans to perk up, “I smell blood.”  
Gaster watched as Sans ran through the grassy tunnels, searching for the source. After only a few seconds Sans leaned down and saw small specs of blood on some of the grass. He put a thumb to the spec, allowing the blood onto his thumb and licked it. His eye flared immediately, accompanied by a wide, wicked smile, “Human blood.”  
Sans leaned down to sample more, but he felt himself stop suddenly. He looked back to see Gaster’s left arm slightly lifted and his eyes full of energy. The blue one was more vibrant that the orange. Gaster frowned at Sans, “I can’t have you eating all of it. We have to sample it.”  
Sans growled at Gaster, “The fuck are you going to do with a few specs of blood? You can’t even sample them!”  
Gaster smirked, pulling a small vial from his coat, “I can assure you that I can.”

Gaster summoned two hand clones, which made his orange eye flare just as bright as his blue eye. The hand clones floated down to the bloodstained grasses and gently plucked a few that contained small droplets of blood. The hands floated back towards Gaster and then dropped them into the vial.  Gaster then closed his eyes, then opening them again; they were normal. Sans attempted to move his arm and felt he could move again, “I get your point, but are we seriously plucking them all?”  
Gaster leaned down to pluck more, “You don’t want any other monster to have this blood, do you?”  
Sans grumbled, “Fine. Give me a vial.”  
Gaster reached into his coat and lightly tossed a vial towards Sans. Sans easily caught it and began to pluck the grasses as well. Gaster frowned, “Do not taste anymore, we need as much as we can find.”  
Sans let out a ‘tch’ sound, “Fine.”  
The two gathered as many bloodstained grasses as they could, finding that they eventually lead in two directions; one way to a tunnel, and another to a shallow waterway. The two explored the waterway first, making note of the tunnel. Gaster mused, “The queen must have tended to the human’s wounds here. I doubt we’ll find any more blood this way.”  
Sans started to walk back, “To that tunnel, then?”  
Gaster nodded, leading Sans back towards the tunnel. As they entered, they noticed a small trench in the middle of the tunnel. Gaster smirked, “Well, well; I think we found our moldbygg.”

The two found the dead end with ease, as the small trench led them to it. At the dead end, they saw a moldbygg trying to eat the ground. No traces of blood were left, but the moldbygg kept digging with its teeth regardless. Gaster quickly lifted his left arm, coating the moldbygg with magic. The moldbygg shriek as it was initially lifted until it turned towards Gaster and Sans. It hissed at them multiple times, spitting small droplets of acid. Gaster and Sans did not seem phased in the least Gaster smirked at the creature and the moldbygg stopped hissing, curling up submissively as he spoke, “Hello there. I understand you had your meal taken away from you.”  
The moldbygg leaned downwards then upwards, indicating a nod before Gaster continued, “Unfortunately for you, you failed, and now I will show you what it is like to be devoured.”  
The moldbygg squealed and tried to escape the magic. They felt a tightening grip on their soul, letting out louder squeals. Gaster looked over at Sans, “Would you care for it? Consider it an award for sniffing out the blood.”  
Sans shrugged, “Better be more filling than those temmies.”  
Gaster frowned, “Considering their intelligence, I wouldn’t be hopeful.”  
“Then you eat it, I’m not interested.”  
Gaster smirked, “You always did prefer to reject my gifts, except when they would have been given to Papyrus.”  
Sans growled and scowled at Gaster. He watched as Gaster approached the moldbygg and held his left hand just over it. Within a few seconds, the moldbygg’s soul was ripped from its body. Gaster used that second to quickly devour the soul before it had the chance to shatter. The monster dispersed into dust instantly, mixing with the soil and becoming lost forever. Gaster gave a disappointed frown, “Barely satisfying.”  
Sans chuckled, “You’d prefer the interns, right?”  
Gaster turned towards Sans, “Indeed. Now, let us get these samples back to the lab.”  
Sans grumbled, “More walking.”  
“No.“ Gaster put a hand on Sans’s shoulder, causing him to jump slightly, “Teleport us.”  
Sans glared up at him, “Fine, but do it yourself next time.”  
Within an instant, Sans and Gaster disappeared from Waterfall, leaving only the dust of the moldbygg behind.


	20. It's the Thought That Counts

Chara grunted as they struggled to remove themselves from Asgore’s grip of their arm from behind. They tried to force themselves forward to no avail. Asgore spoke calmly, “Come now, Chara, you know this. To the side, remember?”  
Chara stopped their struggle for a moment and grumbled, “I forgot.”  
Chara then circled to their left and felt their arm freed. They immediately used their free arm to punch Asgore’s side. Asgore chuckled, “Good, always use that second you are freed to strike your captor.”  
Chara lightly jumped away from Asgore, still on guard. They held their arms in front of them, ready to attack. Asgore smiled at Chara and sighed, “I believe that is enough for today.”  
Chara relaxed, “But I can continue.”  
Asgore shook his head, “Your wounds may have healed, but we still must be sure they do not reopen. We will stop for today.”  
Chara crossed their arms and grumbled, “Fine.”

Chara looked around at the garden around them, “Do we need anything from the garden today?”  
Asgore mused as he began to walk, “Not that I know of. Now, let us get home before the Royal Guard begin their rounds in this area.”  
Chara started to walk in silence with Asgore, lightly rubbing their wrists. Asgore frowned, “Was I gripping too hard?”  
Chara looked up and saw Asgore was worried. They met Asgore’s gaze before responding, “No.”  
“Please, be honest with me.”  
“I am being honest. They just itch.”  
Asgore blinked before letting out a slight chuckle, “Of course.”

The two were silent for a minute or so, finding their way through the tunnels of the castle. Chara eventually spoke, “Thank you.”  
“Hmm?” Asgore looked down at Chara, “For what?”  
Chara gave a light smile, “For agreeing to train me despite being busy.”  
Asgore smiled, “I would never be too busy for my children, and if I was, I am sure your mother would take care of my duties in the meantime.”  
Chara chuckled, “Then do not use training me as an excuse to get out of work.”  
Asgore blushed through his fur, “Well… that was only once these past couple of days.”  
Chara smirked, “She was fuming when she returned.”  
Asgore grimaced, “You could see the smoke coming from her ears.”  
“Indeed.”

The two shared a nervous chuckle before they reached the stairs to their home. As they reached the top of the stairs, scents wafted from the kitchen. Chara smiled, “She’s making stew again.”  
Asgore sniffed, “It smells like it is almost ready.”  
A voice called from the living room, “Yeah! It’s almost ready!”  
Asriel charged in from the living room. He charged for Chara, whom dodged out of the way, sending Asriel tumbling onto the floor behind. Asriel whined, “Why’d you move?!”  
Chara smirked, “I’m still on guard from the training today.”  
Asriel pouted as he stood, “You’re mean.”  
Chara rolled their eyes and crossed their arms, “You’re welcome to join as a sparring partner, but I will not go easy on you.”  
Asriel beamed and looked up at Asgore, “Can I really help Chara train?!”  
Asgore frowned, “We will have to discuss that with your mother.”  
Asriel frowned, “Awww, okay.”

The three entered the living room to see Toriel exiting the kitchen with a smile, “How was the training today?”  
Asgore smiled, “They are improving steadily; I am surprised by their progress after only three days.”  
Toriel nodded, “You are concentrating on defense techniques, correct?”  
“Of course.” Asgore nuzzled Toriel on the cheek, “The only attacks that have been taught are those used in defense.”  
Toriel gave a sigh of relief, “That is good to hear. Perhaps I will take a look at the training tomorrow.”

Asriel pulled on Toriel’s dress, “Mom.”  
Toriel and Asgore looked down at Asriel before he continued, “When is Chara allowed to go outside again?”  
Both Toriel and Asgore frowned, but Asgore responded, “Chara has only begun self-defense training after spending a week recovering from their wounds. I would like to give them at least a week before they explore the underground again.”  
Asriel frowned, “So two whole weeks.”  
They sat in their seat and pouted, “I still have a lot I want to show them.”  
Toriel smiled and patted Asriel’s back, “And you will, in time.”  
She leaned and whispered in Asriel’s ear, “Perhaps now is the time for your gift.”  
Asriel gasped and beamed, “I’ll go get it!”  
Chara raised an eyebrow as Asriel dashed out of the living room and into their room, “What is going on?”  
Toriel lightly chuckled but said nothing. In moments, Asriel dashed back from his and Chara’s room with a small box in hand. Asriel stopped in front of Chara with a nervous smile, “I… I wanted to wait until you told us your birthday… but…”  
Asriel held the box in front of him and beamed, “I couldn’t wait that long.”

Chara paused, their glance switching between Asriel and the box for a moment. They took the box in hand and opened it, taken aback slightly at what it held. Inside the box were two necklaces on golden colored chains. Chara held one of them, and it was an upside-down heart with the words ‘Best Friends Forever’ etched on it on one side and a ‘C’ on the other. Chara noticed the heart was also a locket, but nothing was inside. Asriel lightly picked up the other locket; a match to Chara’s locket except the ‘C’ was an ‘A’. He smiled, “Do you like it? We have one for each of us, so everyone knows if they mess with you, they mess with me too!”  
A tear fell from Chara’s right eye, Chara immediately put their right hand to it, without realizing it was the hand that also held the locket. Asriel frowned, “You’re crying, do you not like it?”  
Chara held the locket close to their chest, “Thank you.”  
Asriel smiled, “You like it!”  
Chara nodded, more tears slowly peaked from their eyes, “Yes.”  
Asriel quickly hugged Chara, “I’m so glad you like it!”  
Chara accepted the hug, and in ten seconds, Asriel pulled away. Asriel quickly put his locket around his neck, “C’mon! Put yours on too!”  
Chara nodded and slowly put their locket around their own neck. They looked down on the new locket, holding it with one hand in silence. Toriel smiled, “It suits you both. You chose well, Asriel.”

Asgore smiled, “We will have to take pictures for those lockets.”  
Asriel beamed towards Asgore, “The camera’s fixed?!”  
Asgore scratched his chin while holding an uncertain gaze, “Well, I am not sure.”  
Asgore went into the foyer of the house and began opening drawers in one of the stands. He smiled, “Ah, here it is.”  
He pulled out a Polaroid camera and took it back to the living room. Chara raised an eyebrow, “What kind of camera is that?”  
Asgore held the camera forward, “I believe it is called a ‘Polaroid’, at least that is what it says on the camera.”  
Chara approached Asgore, “May I see it?”  
Asgore nodded and bent a knee before carefully handing the camera to Chara. Chara examined the camera, “Do you have the special paper for this camera?”  
Asgore blinked, “Is that what is wrong?”  
Chara held the camera up and pressed the picture button. A flash came from the camera along with a noise, but no picture came out. Chara nodded, “It just needs the photo paper.”  
Toriel approached, “Would normal paper work?”  
Chara gave the camera back to Asgore, “I don’t think so. Where did you find this?”  
Asgore stood, “Asriel found it in the dump.”  
Asriel nodded, “It wasn’t very wet, so it still worked.”  
Chara mused, “That is going to be the only place to find the paper for this camera.”  
Toriel sighed, “Very well, I will go with Asriel tomorrow while you stay here and train with Asgore, Chara.”

Asgore raised his pointer finger, “Umm… Tori… we have the monthly address tomorrow.”  
Toriel gasped, “That is tomorrow?!”  
She frowned, “Oh dear…”  
Asriel perked up, “Chara and I can go!”  
Toriel gave a serious gaze, “But Chara is not ready.”  
Asriel pouted, “They can defend themselves now! And it’s not like they’re going alone! I’ll be with them and help them out!”  
Asgore mused, “Hmm… The point of this training was to allow Chara to see more of the underground.”  
Toriel sighed, “Fine, but be careful. When you pass the residential area in Waterfall, stick to the walls. My other rules still apply.”  
Asriel giggled before he hugged Toriel, “Thanks, mom! We’ll get that picture paper no problem!”  
Chara rolled their eyes, “Photo paper.”  
Asriel blushed, rubbing his head, “Oops, hehe.” 

——————————————————————————–

Chara secured their locket around their neck before putting on their bucket hat. Asriel frowned, “Won’t you not be able to see very well with that on?”  
Chara smirked, “I will be fine, Waterfall has low visibility regardless.”  
Asriel blinked, “I just mean… it’s kinda hard to see in Waterfall sometimes.”  
Chara sighed, “I will be fine.”  
Asriel shrugged, “Okay.”  
Chara looked at the backpack as Asriel swung it over his shoulders, “Do you have everything?”  
Asriel nodded, “Cellphone, the stew from last night for lunch, emergency rope, I’m sure we’ll find a flashlight in the dump.”  
Chara mused, “If we ever need it.”

Chara started to walk out the door, “Let’s go, I’m sure Riverperson will be happy to see us again.”  
Asriel frowned before he started to walk with Chara, “Right…. Riverperson.”  
“Do you still not trust them?”  
“Well…. They did kinda eat someone.”  
“They said as long as we are polite that we will not meet the same fate.”  
“But what if we’re rude on accident?!”  
“Then you apologize, I am sure they would give us a chance. They gave the monster that almost ate us three chances.”  
Asriel stopped, “They did?”  
Chara stopped and turned around, “They didn’t eat the monster when they called us brats. They didn’t eat them when they nearly attacked us. They waited until they called us brats and said they didn’t care about scaring us.”  
Asriel counted on their fingers for a second then held a face of shock, “You’re right!”  
They smiled, “They would give us a chance if they gave that monster a chance!”  
Chara nodded, “Feel better?”  
Asriel nodded, “Thanks, Chara.”

The two continued their journey towards the river, quickly sprinting past Gaster’s Lab. They reached the stairs without any interruptions, much to their glee. Chara then spoke, “Is the investigation done yet?”  
Asriel shrugged, “Dad’s been keeping very quiet about it, I guess he doesn’t want to say anything about it until it’s done.”  
Chara mused as they reached the bottom of the stairs, “Do you think that is what they will talk about in this ‘monthly address’ they talked about last night?”  
Asriel shook his head, “I think they’re gonna wait until next month to say anything about it.”  
Chara rang the bell, “It will be interesting to hear.”  
“Uh-huh.”  
The Riverperson’s boat gently floated onto the riverside next to them. Riverperson’s cloak perked up, “Tra la la… Ah! Chara and little Asriel, such a pleasure to see you again.”  
Chara gave a light bow, “Greetings, Riverperson.”  
Asriel smiled, “Hi Riverperson!”  
Riverperson’s cloak turned towards Chara, “I see your wounds have healed well.”  
Chara nodded, “I have also been learning how to defend myself.”  
“How wonderful. Now, where would you two like to go today?”  
Asriel spoke up, “We want to go to the dump! So can you take us to Waterfall?”  
Riverperson nodded, “I will be more than happy to ferry you two once again.”  
Chara and Asriel carefully stepped into Riverperson’s boat, both deciding to sit down. Riverperson faced forward, “Tra la la, to Waterfall we go.”

The boat began to move as silently and smoothly as before After the boat left the Hotland port, Asriel spoke up, “Um… Riverperson?”  
Riverperson did not turn back, “Yes?”  
Asriel spoke nervously, “C-can I ask a… a strange question… about you?”  
Riverperson crooked their hood, “What kind of question?”  
“I-if Chara and I were… were rude… um… you wouldn’t eat us… on our first offense…. Would you?”  
Riverperson’s cloak shook slightly as they let out a small chuckle, “Of course not, I give a few chances before I eat the rude ones. Eating them at the first, small instance of rudeness would be rude in of itself.”  
Asriel crooked his head, “What?”  
Chara spoke up, “They’re saying if we did something slightly rude and they ate us for that, it would be rude as well.”  
Asriel scratched his head, “I think I get it… like if one of us sneezed you wouldn’t eat the other just for not saying ‘excuse you’, right?”  
Riverperson nodded, “Precisely.”  
Asriel let out a sigh of relief, “That makes me feel so much better.”  
“I see, you were scared of me because you thought one misstep would send you to your end.”  
Asriel nodded and frowned, “Yeah. I… I’m sorry, I guess I shouldn’t have thought that.”  
“You are free to have your thoughts, but the apology is appreciated. Thank you for your honesty, little Asriel.”  
Asriel smiled, “You’re welcome, Riverperson!”

“Tra la la, your stop is soon.”  
Chara carefully stood as the boat approached the Waterfall riverside, offering a hand to Asriel. Asriel accepted Chara’s help as stood just as the boat settled at the Waterfall riverside. They both stepped off the boat carefully before turning back towards Riverperson. Riverperson crooked their cloak, “Oh, I did not see the new lockets, how lovely.”  
Asriel beamed, “Thanks! I picked them out just for Chara and myself!”  
Asriel then held his locket closer to Riverperson, “See? it says ‘Best Friends Forever’ on one side and the first letter of our names on the other!”  
River person chuckled pleasantly, “What a thoughtful gift,”  
Chara nodded while holding their own locket, “It is.”  
Riverperson faced forward, “Tra la la, I hope it gives you two happiness.”  
Asriel waved, “Bye, Riverperson! See you soon!”  
Chara gave a gentle wave, “Goodbye for now, Riverperson.”  
Riverperson started to drift away, “Tra la la. Goodbye.”

Chara and Asriel watched as Riverperson floated down the river. The two then turned back towards the tunnel leading into Waterfall. Asriel immediately grabbed Chara’s hand, causing Chara to look at them strangely. Asriel smiled, “This way, no moldbygg can get you.”  
Chara lightly smirked, “Or rather it would eat both of us.”  
Asriel pouted, “Why can’t you let me be cool for once?”  
Chara giggled, “Because you are more cute than cool.”  
“I can be cool too!”  
“Then prove it next time we run into something.”  
Asriel nodded, an expression of determination on their face, “It’s a deal!”  
Asriel started to walk forward, still gripping Chara’s hand, “C’mon! The dump’s this way!”

The two slowly walked until they made it to the first fork in the tunnel. Asriel went to turn left but suddenly felt resistance. He looked back to see Chara standing completely still. Asriel raised an eyebrow, “Chara?”  
Chara stood with a blank expression on their face before they turned to the right and started walking, lightly dragging Asriel along with them. Asriel tried to hold them back, “Chara, no! The dump is back the other way! That’s the way we went with the moldbygg! Chara-“  
He paused, and he realized he heard something. He gasped, “No…”  
He heard a soft voice singing, slowly getting louder as Chara slowly walked through the darkness of Waterfall.


	21. One Chance

Three monsters trekked through the dark tunnels of Waterfall. The smallest figure appeared to be a fish creature with blue hair and green scales. She was on top of a long worm-like creature, also of green scales. The worm creature seemed to move by slithering their tail across the ground of the cavern. The small fish creature, meanwhile, was singing; her song echoing far through the cavern. Alongside the two was a tall creature also slithering across the ground of the cavern. The tail was green until the hips, where it turned into a brown, muscled creature of two arms and flowing black hair. The muscled creature huffed, “You sure this’ll work? How do you even know the rumor is true?!”  
The worm shushed the muscled monster, “Quiet, Aaron! Otherwise, the human won’t hear Shyren’s singing.”  
“How can you be so sure a human even is down here?”  
The worm rolled its eyes, “Then why’d you come along?”  
Aaron crossed his arms, “Well… if it is true… I want to give some to my little sister.”  
The worm nodded lightly, careful not to knock Shyren over, “Yeah sure, but remember; Shyren gets first pick.”  
“Right, right, long as I get the heart I could care less what she picks.”  
The worm looked up at Shyren, “You want the soul, right?”

Shyren nodded, still singing with her eyes closed. After a few seconds, her eyes flared open and she started to sing louder. Aaron raised an eyebrow, “What’s up with Shyren?”  
The worm exclaimed, “She’s got something!”  
Aaron stopped, “No way! The rumor was true?!”  
The worm stopped, “Quick, hide! I’ll capture the human when it gets here.”  
Aaron growled, “How do I know you’re not just gonna eat it whole?!”  
“Does it look like I CAN eat a human whole?”  
Aaron paused before he lowered his tone, “Good point. Alright, I’m bringing my sister back an arm.”  
“Yea, sure, just hide!”

Aaron quickly hid behind one of the small waterfalls in the tunnel. The worm turned around and sat still as Shyren continued to sing. Slow footsteps began to echo in the distance, making it the only sound to accompany Shyren’s singing. Within a minute, the three monsters could see a small figure in the distance. It approached them slowly and with only a blank expression on their face. Aaron recognized the figure immediately and grumbled, “Dammit, a fucking kid?”  
He jumped behind the human and quickly grabbed them by the arms, holding them behind the human’s form. The worm growled, “Are you nuts? What if that snapped the human out of Shyren’s song?”  
Aaron boasted, “Like it would have mattered, there’s no way this brat could ever-“

Two fireballs flew past Aaron’s head, causing him to gasp and turn around. The human also turned with him, still with a blank expression on their face. Aaron growled, “Give up, we got the human fair and square!”  
Two more fireballs, this time aimed at Aaron’s head flew by. Aaron dodged, this time shouting, “Show yourself!”  
The worm came up beside Aaron and wacked him at the hip, “Quiet!”  
Another fireball sailed from the darkness, this time aimed at Shyren. The worm didn’t notice in time and Shyren went sailing off his head with a scream of agony. The scream was piercing to the two of them, forcing them to cover their ears. The worm had no ears to cover, instead sticking his head into the ground to drown out the noise. In the chaos, the human blinked; they had awoken from the spell. A voice cried out as soon as Shyren stopped her shriek, “Chara! This way!”  
The human immediately dashed away, causing Aaron to shout, “Shit!”  
The worm unplugged its head from the ground, “Quick! After it!”  
Aaron had already started to rush ahead, “Don’t fucking tell me what to do!”

Chara quickly found Asriel in the darkness. They grabbed his hand and ran with him before they spoke, “What happened to me?”  
Asriel frowned, “You remember the song, right?”  
“Only for a second, the next thing I remember is standing in that tunnel and you telling me to run.”  
The two rounded a corner, “Mom told me there were monsters that could kind of control humans by singing.”  
Chara nodded, “Humans call them sirens.”  
“Uh-huh, so I guess a siren heard the rumor and the other two tagged along.”  
“There were three of them?”

The two heard growling coming from the tunnel behind them. Chara dared to look behind and see Aaron catching up to them. Chara immediately turned forward, and their face paled, “There’s one.”  
The two of them ran faster, Asriel cried out, “What do we do?”  
Chara blinked and shot a look at Asriel, “What do you mean?! It was your plan to run!”  
Asriel cried, “I didn’t think this through!”  
Chara groaned, “If I had a weapon, we could just fight it.”  
“But mom said-“  
“They started it!”  
Asriel paused, “I… guess you’re righ- WAH!”  
Aaron had nearly caught up to them and started to strike towards them. He growled, “Stay still and this won’t hurt, you fucking brats!”  
Chara mused aloud, “Now that’s a lie if I’d heard one.”  
“I AIN’T INTERESTED IN MY FOOD’S OPINION!”  
Chara let out a small gasp, their eyes widened with realization and a newfound determination. Chara turned their head towards Asriel, “The river!”  
Asriel blinked before he widened his eyes in realization. He then shared his own determined gaze and nodded, “Right! This way!”  
Aaron chuckled, “Guess you want to drown, huh? Fine, at least that way we won’t have to waste any blood!”

Aaron slowed down but stayed close to Asriel and Chara as they all dashed toward the riverside. Asriel spoke quietly, “Chara….”  
Chara nodded and spoke quietly, “Ring the bell.”  
“But-“  
“Just do it!”  
The two rounded the final corner; the riverside was in sight. A voice called from behind the group, “What are you doing?! Just grab the human!”  
The Aaron stopped and turned back, “Shut up! I know what I’m doing!”  
Asriel and Chara quickly dashed towards the riverside while the monsters were bickering with each other. Asriel smiled and rang the bell while Chara kept and eye on the monsters, ready to jump onto the boat the second it arrived. Just as the bell was rung, the Aaron called out, “See what you did?! They’re trying to get away! Fuck your plan, I’m taking that human for myself!”  
Aaron charged towards Asriel and Chara, causing Asriel to shake, “I hope you know what you’re doing, Chara!”  
Chara shot a glance downriver and saw the Riverperson rounding a bend, “I hope so as well.”  
Chara grabbed Asriel’s hand, “JUMP!”  
Asriel jumped in sync, both landing on Riverperson’s boat with a thud. Riverperson crooked their head, “My, what is-“  
Chara spoke quickly, “I’m sorry for interrupting you, but just go! Anywhere! Please!”  
Aaron quickly jumped onto the boat between Riverperson and Chara, causing the boat to sway for the first time. Aaron quickly grabbed Chara with both hands and chuckled, “So this was your plan, huh? Depend on some other monster to get you to safety, eh? Too bad, cuz the only place you’re going is mine and my family’s stomachs.”  
Asriel cried out, “You let go of Chara right now!”  
Asriel started punching Aaron’s side to little effect, only prompting a confused noise from Aaron, “Huh? Wait a second; you’re that royal runt! The fuck you need a human for when you got all those stupid snails?”

Aaron the took a took at Chara, noticing the matching lockets, “Oh wow, I see now, you wanted a pet! You even got it a matching collar!”  
Aaron bellowed over in laughter, but made sure to keep a fierce grip on Chara. Asriel cried out, “Chara’s not my pet! They’re my best friend!”  
Aaron bellowed out even more, “Oh my god, you’re killing me with this!”  
It took some time for Aaron to regain his composure, “Tell you what, I’ll let you have an arm or something. You haven’t even tasted a human before, right?”  
Asriel yelled out in anger, “I’ll die before you take Chara!”  
Aaron smirked, “Then I guess I have an appetizer.”  
Aaron removed one arm from Chara and held them by their right arm. He bent towards Asriel, his left arm ready to grab the young prince. Asriel backed himself to the end of the boat and shook. He closed his eyes and closed in on himself, not wanting to see what came next.

Aaron’s arm suddenly stopped in mid-air. He looked at his arm, “Huh?”  
He tried to move it but he felt something grabbing it. Nothing was there. He tried again and again, “What the fuck is this?”  
A voice sounded from the front of the boat, “You are being very rude to my favorite passengers.”  
Aaron turned towards the Riverperson, lightly swinging Chara to his other side, “This your doing? Let me go!”  
Riverperson had already turned towards their passengers, their cloak fluttered slightly but still kept its form, “After what you have said? What you have done? Perhaps if something is said-”  
Aaron shouted, “NOTHING NEEDS TO BE SAID! NOW FUCKING LET GO OF MY ARM OR I’LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS AND EAT YOU ALONG WITH THESE BRATS!”  
Aaron’s arm started to move towards Riverperson, who spoke darkly, “I will only ask you once, let Chara go.”  
Aaron chuckled, keeping his bravado, “And lose the only food we’ve had in a long time? Fuck. Off.”  
A dark chuckle echoed from Riverperson, “Food is everywhere, you just refuse to eat it.”  
Aaron moved again, making him face to face with Riverperson. He growled, “Where the fuck is there food?”  
Riverperson chuckled again before they spoke, “R I G H T I N F R O N T O F M E.”  
Aaron felt himself be lifted high up above Riverperson and he started to panic, “What the fuck?! What is this?! What kind of monster are you!?”

In his panic, he let go of Chara, who found themselves also floating in the air. They then appeared to float gently down, back onto the boat next to Asriel, whom had peaked an eye open. He shook, tears peaked out of his eyes, but his gaze focused on Chara. As soon as Chara was safely planted next to him, he hugged them tightly. Chara hugged back, “I don’t think we should see this.”  
Asriel nodded and swiftly closed his eyes once again, blocking his view of Riverperson and Aaron. Riverperson briefly turned towards Asriel and Chara with a nod they could not see, “Thank you,”

Aaron appeared to plummet, he screamed, trying to divert his course in any way. All was for naught as he swiftly disappeared into Riverperson’s cloak with little resistance. Silence pervaded the docked boat; both Asriel and Chara hesitated to look back at Riverperson or to let go of each other. After thirty seconds, Riverperson spoke up, “N O W I T N E S S E S.”  
Asriel and Chara hugged each other tighter and shook. Asriel spoke up, his eyes still firmly closed, “W-We didn’t see anything! I-“  
Another scream echoed throughout the cavern, but coming from a different direction; the shore. Asriel and Chara heard dragging sounds across the ground and a voice pleaded, “Please! I won’t tell anyone! I swear!”  
Riverperson spoke plainly, “That is correct. You won’t tell a soul.”  
The scream echoed again before suddenly stopping. Both Asriel and Chara knew that it was the other monster from before, the worm, and he had disappeared into Riverperson’s cloak. Riverperson spoke in annoyance, “Tra la la, one got away.”

Asriel perked up, finally opening his eyes and pulling away from Chara, “W-what?”  
Chara opened their eyes, “Asriel!”  
Riverperson’s cloak turned towards their two remaining passengers, their voice still deep, “You two were also quite rude, to me.”  
Asriel stepped back, fear in his gaze, “Wh-what?! What did we do? I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!”  
Chara instead stood firm, their eyes locked onto Riverperson’s hood, “I am sorry, I should have asked before using you to save ourselves.”  
Asriel blinked, “Huh?”  
Riverperson nodded, “Indeed you should have, but you were stressed and did not think. Not thinking leads to being rude, after all.”  
Chara nodded, “So, what now? Was that enough to end our time together?”  
Riverperson paused before their tone lightened, “Not quite, but very close.”  
Riverperson turned forward, “I will give you each one more warning, but if you use that warning, I am afraid our time together will end. Do you understand this?”  
Chara nodded, “Then may I ask something?”  
“Yes, what is it?”  
“If I find a monster that attacks us is out of our skill, may we depend on you once again?”  
Riverperson paused before answering, “Only once more, so use it wisely.”  
Chara and Asriel gave a sigh of relief before Riverperson spoke again, “But know I will not be able to help against the man who speaks in hands.”  
Chara relaxed, “Very well.”

Asriel quickly exited the boat, “S-sorry for not calling you to ferry us.”  
Chara exited the boat as Riverperson spoke, “Tra la la, as long as we have come to an understanding.”  
Chara extended their pointer finger, “One chance.”  
Riverperson nodded, “One chance.”  
Asriel frowned, “One… chance.”  
Riverperson spoke calmly, “But do not worry, if that chance ever does come along, I will make it painless. That is something I can extend to the two of you.”  
Chara gave a light bow, “We will strive to be better, so that does not happen.”  
Asriel nodded, giving a small smile, “Y-yea. We can be better.”  
Riverperson gave a light chuckle, “I certainly hope so. Until next time.”

Riverperson’s boat gently floated along the river until it disappeared out of sight. Asriel sighed, “They’re gonna eat us.”  
Chara turned towards Chara, “We will be fine, we won’t use that chance.”  
Asriel sniffs, “But-“  
Chara pulled Asriel into a hug, “We will be fine.”  
Asriel quickly sobbed into Chara’s shoulder while Chara frowned, unbeknownst to Asriel.

—————————————————————————————–

“It’s this way,” Asriel and Chara quickly made their way past the residential area of Waterfall, sneaking along the southern wall of the cavern. The two then came to a large entrance area that some monsters were near, but not entering. Chara adjusted their hat and tucked in their hair for good measure before calmly walking with Asriel towards the entrance. Asriel them blinked, “Oh, right. I have to put the backpack in the water-resistant thing now.”  
Chara sighed and tapped their foot, “Quickly.”  
Asriel rolled their eyes as he took the waterproof cover out of the backpack, “Relax, we’re not in danger.”  
Chara mused, “For now.”  
Asriel quickly put the cover over the backpack and slung it over his shoulder, “See? That didn’t take long.”

The two quietly walked through the entrance to the dump. The two saw water before them and quickly entered. Chara shivered slightly at the water before adjusting to it. Asriel smiled, “I think I found the camera pretty deep in the dump.”  
Chara nodded, “Then let’s go. We can search for more on our way back.”  
Asriel giggled, “We’ll come back here again! There’s always something interesting here! Last time, I found the crayons!”  
Chara mused aloud, “That explains the warped package.”

Asriel nodded before frowning, “Gee, it’s gonna take some time to get there.”  
“How about we race?”  
“Huh?” Asriel soon nods, “Okay.”  
Chara smirked, “Loser carries everything home?”  
Asriel gave a look of determination, “I’m gonna win for sure!”  
The two stretched and prepared to race, standing next to each other just on the edge of the water. Asriel held up his hand, “Ready?”  
Both of them tensed, ready to jump at the signal, “GO!”


	22. Search and Rescue

Chara dashed ahead, but Asriel closely trailed behind them. Water splashed above their knees with every step, both of them eventually slogging through the waters. Once the water went to Chara’s hips, they dived into the water and began swimming across the surface. Asriel giggled and continued to run through the water, slowly catching up to Chara. He huffed as he started to pass Chara, “I’m gonna win!”  
Chara sped up their swimming; they allowed their mouth to peak from above the water, “Not on my watch!”  
Asriel giggled, “No way! Not with how I know this place!”  
Asriel pointed ahead, “I’m gonna get way ahead cuz of that!”

Asriel pointed to a small wooden platform in the center of the water, just laying there across the surface of the water. Chara narrowed their eyes and swam ahead, their arms and legs thrashed as they desperately tried to get ahead. Once in front of the platform, Chara climbed on it just as Asriel came onto it. The two jumped off the platform simultaneously but kept their hands apart. With laughter, the two splashed into the water once again, both deciding it was best to run through the water-covered dump. They jumped over and dodged several bits of junk in their way. Chara managed to get ahead, leaving Asriel just behind him to pant and weave slightly. Before long, Asriel gasped and tripped over some junk, landing square in the water on his face. Chara didn’t notice until the splash. They turned to see Asriel slowly recovering and sniffing, “That one hurt….”  
Chara boasted, slowly treading water ahead, “What’s wrong? One little trip shouldn’t hurt the Prince of all Monsters!”  
Asriel whined while rubbing his nose, “I think my nose hit the bottom.”  
Chara stopped and turned back, “Are you sure?”  
Asriel nodded and approached, “It stings.”  
Chara lightly grasped Asriel’s arm, “Let me see.”  
Asriel slowly lowered his arm, revealing his nose to have a few scuffs. Chara gave a light chuckle, “It’s barely there.”  
Asriel frowned, “Yea… but can we just walk now?”  
Chara shrugged, “Alright, but you have to carry everything back.”  
Asriel puffed his cheeks, “You’re mean.”  
Chara started to walk, “I’m fair. You gave up, you crybaby.”  
Asriel crossed his arms, “I’m telling mom!”  
Chara hesitated, they halted mid-step as Asriel continued, “She’ll be so mad!”  
Chara turned back towards Asriel, “If she is angered by something like that, then it is not new to me.”  
Asriel blinked, “Huh? Oh… was your birth mom really strict or something?”  
Chara turned back around and walked, “Something like that.”

Asriel quickly walked to Chara’s right side. The two walked in silence for a little while before Asriel gasped and beamed. Chara raised an eyebrow as Asriel nearly dived towards a nearby pile of refuse. Asriel giggled as he pulled something from the pile, “I found more color paper!”  
In Asriel’s hands was a strangely unopened package of construction paper. He continued to smile as he opened the backpack to quickly put the paper inside, “See? You can find really cool things here!”  
Chara gave a half smile, “That was certainly a lucky find, but I bet I can find something better.”  
Asriel frowned and looked up at Chara, “Hmm? Like what?”  
“The photo paper we are here for,”  
Asriel lightly looked around him, “Do you see it already?”  
Chara shook their head, “No, but I am sure I can find it first.”  
Asriel puffed his cheeks and pouted, “I’m already going to carry everything; we’re not making another bet.”  
Chara rolled their eyes, “Very well, then what do you propose we do while we search?”  
Asriel started walking, “What do you mean? Finding new things is fun!”  
Chara followed beside them, still skeptical “And if we cannot find anything interesting?”  
Asriel paused, but continued walking, “Hmmm, how about we tell stories?”  
Chara crossed their arms, “I am not telling stories about the surface.”  
“Well, maybe not about your life but… what’s it like?”  
“Haven’t your mother or father told you things about the surface?”  
“Well yea, lots of stuff. But all of that was so long ago, so some things must have changed, right?”  
“…Most likely.”  
“So what’s changed?”  
“That depends upon what you are asking.”

Asriel scratched his chin, “Okay, um…. Do humans still use magic?”  
Chara shook their head, “No.”  
Asriel frowned, “Aww, really?! You can’t use magic?”  
Chara snorted, “Do you think I would be asking for weapons training if I could use magic?”  
“Well… a lot of the Royal Guard uses both weapons and magic, so I just… kind of thought you could too…”  
Chara paused, “…How do you use magic?”  
“It’s kind of different for everyone, but um… you start with your soul.”  
“My soul?”  
Asriel stopped, the two now short of a corner, “Uh-huh.”  
He placed his hand over his chest, as Chara stopped to look at him, “So, um, your soul is around this area. Try to feel it.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Feel it?”  
Asriel rubbed his head, “Hmmm, how did mom explain it? Um… okay! So, your soul, while it’s in your body it’s kinda like a big ball of energy. Try to feel that energy inside you.”  
Chara closed their eyes and concentrated; they held their hands onto their chest before taking a deep breath. Before long, Chara felt a new weight on their chest, “I think I feel it.”  
Asriel nodded, “Okay, now feel that energy flow down your arms into your hands. This part is really difficult, you have to believe it will happen or it won’t.”  
Chara tightened their eyes and their hands, turning their hand into a fist. They tried with all their determination to put energy into their fist. After a minute, they sighed and relaxed. They frowned as they spoke, “I cannot do it.”  
Asriel gave a reassuring smile, “It’s okay, maybe mom can help you better than I could.”  
Chara nodded, “I will consider asking her about it.”

Asriel started to walk once again, “Let’s go find that photo paper.”  
Chara followed after, “How much longer until the back of the dump?”  
“We’re halfway, um… so up ahead is a waterfall, so don’t walk so close to the left.”  
Chara nodded, walking towards the middle of the path, “Thank you for the warning.”

The two walked past the waterfall, Chara noticing the water was now flowing more in this area. They looked at the waterfall to their right; they noticed that various objects flowed down the waterfall. The vast majority of them stuck onto the piles in front of the waterfall, but other lighter objects flowed past their feet. Chara approached the piles, “I think we should try here first.”  
Asriel blinked, “Huh? Oh, yea. That’s probably a good idea.”  
Chara kneeled down at one of the piles and started to dig, “Were these not the piles you found the camera in?”  
Asriel approached and shook his head, “No, it was further ahead. But this is where a lot of the newer stuff falls.”

The two of them kept digging, they tossed some items to the side or placed them onto one side of the pile, each kept note of where they had dug. Soon Asriel came across a large book, “Oh wow! Look at this!”  
Chara came over and looked at what Asriel held, “What is- oh, it’s a cookbook.”  
Asriel beamed, “I bet mom would love to have this! Especially since she says you need to eat more than just snails.”  
Chara took the book and examined it, “It looks like many of the pages might be water damaged, we won’t know how much until they are dried.”  
Asriel nodded before taking the book back and opening the backpack, “But I still think it’s a great find! Keep looking while I put it inside the backpack!”

Chara nodded but stopped short of the pile. Asriel blinked, “Um… are you okay?”  
Chara glanced about the area, “Do you hear that?”  
Asriel closed the backpack and focused on his hearing, “I don’t think I hear-“  
He then gasped and hear it, a familiar singing voice, “Cover your ears! It’s the siren!”  
Chara struggled to cover their ears, their movements became stiff and slow, “I… think it’s… too late. I can’t… move my body!”  
Asriel rushed over and covered Chara’s ears from behind, “I got you!”  
Chara lightly shook their head, “It’s no use… I won’t be able… to stop myself.”  
Asriel quickly hugged Chara, “I’m not letting you go! You hear me?! That monster won’t get you!”  
“Stop… me…”

Chara sighed deeply before relaxing their muscles, standing still for a few moments. Asriel loosened their hug, “Chara?”  
Chara began to walk with Asriel in tow, slogging through the water towards the descending waterfall. Asriel gasped, “Chara! You have to wake up! Please! I know you can do it!”  
Chara did not respond, their eyes glazed over in a trance and expressionless as they continued to step towards the waterfall. Asriel tried to drag Chara backwards, grunting and groaning as the struggled to keep Chara back, if only for a single step. Tears began to leak from Asriel’s eyes, “Please, wake up, Chara!”  
The two stepped onto a platform overlooking the abyss beyond the waterfall. Asriel could clearly hear the singing coming from below and saw Chara stare directly into the abyss. Asriel shook his head and begged once more, “No! You can’t! That fall will kill you! It would kill anyone!”  
Chara had stopped on the platform; their muscles shook noticeably. Asriel blinked, “Huh?”  
They let go of Chara and noticed they weren’t jumping. They gritted their teeth as the singing got louder and louder and anger seeped into the tone. Asriel grew a determined gaze and walked to Chara’s side. They took a deep breath then charged forward, tackling Chara back and to the side. Chara’s head hit the platform with a loud thud, but another noise sounded as well. A groan of pain echoed from Chara, “Ow! What the hell-“  
Chara shot up, an expression of shock on their face, “You did it! You snapped me out of the spell!”  
Asriel smiled, “Of course I did-“

An angered shriek echoed from below, causing both Asriel and Chara to cover their ears in pain. Even though it was short-lived, the pain stayed for a few seconds before both their ears started to ring and return to normal. Asriel rubbed his ears, “Ow…”  
Chara shook their head before rubbing the back of it, “Shouldn’t we be worried about an angered monster?”  
Asriel shrugged, “I dunno, I’ve never heard of a monster swimming up this waterfall before.”

The two heard a hissing sound, prompting Chara to carefully look over the edge of the waterfall. They reeled back, “Asriel, you have now heard of one.”  
Asriel widened his eyes in shock and gazed over the edge of the waterfall to see the small form slowly swimming up the waterfall. It dived deeper into the waterfall, away from view. Asriel panicked, “We gotta get you out of here!”  
He grabbed Chara’s arm and started to pull on them, “Come on! If we get out of the water-“  
Chara stood, “And then what? Our preferred form of transportation is in water; we have to deal with this now.”  
Asriel whined, “But…“  
Chara smirked, “It is a tiny monster. If we can handle giant, frenzied monsters, then we can handle this.”  
Asriel paused, visually calming down before nodding, “Alright.”  
The two turned towards the waterfall, their eyes locked onto any changes in the water. Chara spoke, “Luckily we know it is coming this way and is more likely to attack me. We are ready for it.”  
Asriel nodded, “Yea, we got this!”

The two heard a large splash from behind them and gasped. They turned to see the monster had already climbed the waterfall and had jumped from the water. The monster hissed and jumped onto Asriel, knocking him off balance towards the waterfall. Asriel cried out in panic as Chara called his name and quickly grabbed his arm. He crashed into the water but was still held by Chara by one arm. On one of his legs, he could feel the monster heavily biting him, causing him to cry out even more. Asriel tried to kick the monster with his other leg, but only succeeded in kicking past it. Chara hissed, “Don’t do that! I will drop you!”  
Asriel cried out, “Please don’t drop me!”  
Chara grunt as they tried to step back with Asriel in tow, “I won’t let go! Give me your other arm!”  
Asriel swung his other arm up and grabbed Chara’s hands, “Okay!”  
Chara stepped back; they made sure they kept their grip tight as the pulled Asriel back onto the platform. Once Asriel was back on the platform, the monster jumped from Asriel’s leg towards Chara. Chara instinctually punched the monster with their right arm, but only found their fist inside the monster’s maw. Chara panicked and tried to shake the monster off their hand, but only found the monster tighten their bite around their wrist. Chara continued to shake their arm and call out, “Get off my hand!”  
Despite all of the shaking, the monster did not budge from Chara’s hand. It instead bit deeper into Chara’s skin, causing blood to flow steadily. Most of it flowed directly into the monster’s mouth, while the rest dripped and stained the platform. Chara froze and shook as they felt the monster’s tongue wriggle in between their fingers; they knew it was savoring their taste. Chara raised the monster into the air then slammed them down onto the platform, chest first. The monster let go and cried out in pain before Chara punted it over the waterfall. Chara panted, holding their injured arm. They stared into the darkness; they stared for any signs of the monster’s return, but nothing sounded other than the waterfall’s roar. Chara took a deep breath and relaxed, “We are fine.”

They looked back at Asriel to see his eyes were focused on their right arm. He was breathing deeply with his mouth open, small bits of drool leaking from his mouth. Chara stepped back, their eyes widened, “Asriel?”  
Asriel did not respond. Chara groaned before they walked over to him and slapped him in the nose with their left arm, “ASRIEL!”  
Asriel blinked and rubbed his nose, “Owww.”  
He gasped, “Wha-what happened?! Where’s the siren?!”  
Chara relaxed, “Gone, I punted it over the waterfall.”  
Asriel raised an eyebrow, “You punted it?”  
He then hissed, “Owww…. It bit me really deeply.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Do… monsters bleed?”  
Asriel slowly repositioned his injured leg. Chara immediately noticed that instead of blood, dust covered the wound. Asriel quickly whipped most of the dust away to see the raw bite wound. Chara reeled back, they nearly retched, “It is a normal wound… but no blood!”  
Asriel frowned, “It’s okay, it… doesn’t hurt that much.”  
“Bullshit.”  
“What?”  
“You are a bad liar.”  
Asriel gave a nervous chuckle as he started to dig through the backpack, “Yea… it does hurt a lot.”

Asriel pulled out some gauze, bandages, and some ointment, “Okay, let’s get your wound first.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Your leg wound is more severe.”  
Asriel gave a breathy chuckle, “Yea… but… I don’t know how much longer I can take smelling your blood.”  
Chara sighed, “Point taken. I will wash it-“  
“Wait! Don’t stick it directly into the water or some other monsters will taste it in the water!”  
Chara nodded before they gently splashed the wound before turning back to Asriel, “Did you pack a throw-away cloth?”  
Asriel nodded, “Here.”

Asriel pulled out a small, white cloth and handed it to Chara. Chara then wiped their wrist dry before holding the cloth up, “Burn it.”  
Asriel immediately did so and gave a sigh of relief, “That’s a little better, but let me apply the bandages.”  
The two bandaged each other, each made sure they would hold up in the water. Asriel smiled, “Okay, now let’s go search for what we came here for!”


	23. Close Encounters

Chara raised an eyebrow at the bandaged work done. It was not bad by any means, but the last stage cause skepticism, “Will this make them waterproof?”  
Both of them looked down at their wounds, finding plastic wrapped tightly around the bandages. Asriel gave a despaired frown, “It was all we had. I tried my best.”  
Chara sighed, “I suppose there is not much we could do.”  
“Does it still hurt?”  
Chara held their bitten wrist carefully, “A little, what about your bite?”  
Asriel looked down at his bite and spoke, “Yea, it still hurts.”  
Chara stood and offered a hand towards Asriel, “Let’s just get the photo paper and get out of here.”  
Asriel took Chara’s hand, but he took a couple seconds to stand before he whined, “Awww, but there’s so much new stuff to find!”  
Chara rolled their eyes, “You’re such a crybaby; we can come back and find more things later when we’re not wounded.”  
“You’re mean.”  
Chara gave an exasperated sigh, “And you’re being unreasonable.”  
Asriel puffed his cheeks out before he slowly stepped off the platform, “Well fine! I’ll find that paper first!”  
Chara stepped off the platform into the water, “We shall see about that.”  
Asriel and Chara continued their search for photo paper in the Waterfall Dump. With both their wounds, they decided to search in the nearby piles first. After a few minutes, Asriel whined, “I’m starting to think we won’t find it here.”  
Chara nodded, “I suppose we should have started with the pile you found the camera in.”

Asriel nodded before he stood with a limp. He tried to make his way over towards the area of the dump Chara had not seen, but his walking was slow. He started to sniff and wince from the pain before Chara walked over to his right to support him. Asriel blinked before he giggled. Chara raised an eyebrow, “What’s so funny?  
Asriel gave a soft smile, “It’s like when I found you before you passed out.”  
Chara smirked, “Don’t pass out on me, I won’t carry you back.”  
Asriel frowned, “You’re mean.”  
“We’ve discussed this.”  
Asriel sighed, “Okay…”  
Asriel then pointed with his left arm towards a large pile on their right, “There. That’s where I found the camera.”  
Chara helped Asriel towards the large pile before they kneeled him down. The two of them began digging through the pile. Asriel spoke up, “Um, Chara? What does this photo paper look like?”  
Chara turned towards Asriel and made a square with their arms, “It’s glossy paper about this big, so look for packages about this big.”  
Asriel nodded, “Okay.”

The two dug on opposite sides of the pile for a few minutes, the only noises being the waterfall behind them and the sounds of objects tossed aside. Asriel narrowed his eyes before he fiercely dug deep into the pile, “I think I found something!”  
Chara looked over to see the pile enveloped Asriel’s entire torso, which left his hips and legs visible. Asriel grunted, “I got it!”  
He then grunted some more, his legs waving for a second before relaxing, “I’m stuck.”  
Chara sighed before walking over, “Why do you always get stuck?”  
Asriel whined, “I don’t always get stuck!”  
Chara grabbed Asriel’s left leg with their left arm, “You got stuck in the stair’s railing last week.”  
Asriel whined, “Please just get me out.”

Chara pulled Asriel out, despite both of their wounds. Asriel clutched three small, slightly warped packages, “I found them.”  
Chara examined the packages, finding the name ‘Polaroid’ on them. They gave a light smile, “You did.”  
Asriel beamed before putting them in the backpack, “This will be enough for a long time! And I’m sure there’s more in there!”  
“We have what we came for, let us go.”  
Asriel nodded as he slung the backpack over his back, “Yea, I guess we should get going before the monthly address is over.”

Chara and Asriel carefully walked side-by-side, Chara had to support Asriel as soon as they approached the first corner. They walked in silence, both silently ruminated on the evens that had transpired that very day. Asriel blinked, before he looked over at Chara, “Um, Chara?”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “What is it?”  
Asriel hesitated, “Did you see that siren monster turn to dust?”  
Chara stopped, the entrance to the dump only a few steps away, “No, I did not.”  
Asriel moaned, “I hope it doesn’t come back… but I… I don’t want it to die either.”  
Chara rolled their eyes, “That was a rather large fall; if it did survive, it is most likely heavily wounded.”  
Asriel leaned their head against Chara, frowning, “Okay…”

The two continued to walk; they quietly passed through the main living area of Waterfall without any trouble. The main square of the residential area was very sparse, only a few monsters directly talked to each other and didn’t notice Chara or Asriel. The two gave a sigh after they rounded the corner of the tunnel that would lead to Riverperson.  
“Heya, where are you two kids off to?”  
The two jumped at the voice in the darkness. Chara’s stance became low and wide while Asriel immediately summoned a flame. Their target was illuminated quickly; a large monster, an elderly tortoise-man. He had a long and narrowed, but scraggily, beard peaking from his chin. He was dressed in brown tunics, not unlike what explorers are synonymous with, including the hat, which bore a resemblance to Chara’s current hat. He had one eye open, yellow with a black iris, the other seemed to only be half open. He smiled politely at Asriel and Chara, revealing that his mouth was once full of sharp teeth, but only a few remain, with one or two of them broken. Asriel spoke up, “Um…howdy, mister… we were just… exploring.”  
The tortoise-man chuckled, “Wa ha ha! Nothing down that way expect the river. You kids better turn back or go this way.”  
He pointed behind him, careful to keep his balance on his walking stick. Asriel gave a nervous smile before dispelling his flame bauble, “Sound fun, maybe we’ll check out the river.”  
Asriel tugged on Chara’s sweater on their backside before speaking, “Bye!”

Chara took that was the signal to walk. They took a few good steps before the tortoise-man spoke again with suspicion, “Hey… wait a second…”  
The two froze before they turned towards the tortoise-man very carefully. He had narrowed his only good eye and leaned down as if he attempted to get a good look at them in the dim light of the tunnel. After a few seconds, he spoke, “You two didn’t give me your names!”  
Chara and Asriel sighed in relief before Chara spoke, “My name is Chara, and this is Asriel.”  
“Chara and Asriel, eh? You two from New Home? I don’t think I’ve seen you two around here before.”  
Asriel nodded, “Yeah.”  
“What kind of monsters are you?”  
Asriel’s fur stood on end, Chara looked to them for advice. Asriel stammered through his words carefully, “It’s kinda rude to ask what kind of monster you are.”  
The tortoise-man huffed, “Well, call me old-fashioned, but I like to know what kind of monsters are left down here.”  
He leaned down towards the two, “There’s been rumors of monsters disappearing more and more.”  
Chara’s already pale face became even more paled, “Monsters… disappearing?”  
The tortoise-man nodded, “Yep, rumors started about month ago. Latest I’ve heard is a temmie going missing about two weeks ago.”  
The tortoise-man chuckled to himself, allowing Asriel and Chara to share a concerned gaze before he continued, “And now, about a week ago, people are saying a human’s fallen down here. But I doubt it’s alive now.”  
Asriel breathed out another nervous chuckle, “Yea… someone’s probably gotten to it by now…”  
The Tortoise-man continued, “So, you kids be careful now. If you ever need any help, ol’ Gerson can still use his Hammer of Justice!”  
Chara gave an awkward bow as they tried to keep balance with Asriel on their side, “Thank you for the advice, Gerson.”

Chara walked away from Gerson slowly as Asriel also said his goodbye. Gerson waved his goodbye before taking a few steps and spoke out, “They never told me what kind of monsters they were!”  
He turned to see them already gone, he narrowed his eye and grumbled, “Shoot, dark tunnels.”  
He mumbled to himself before entering a small cave to his right, which was Chara and Asriel’s left.

Asriel and Chara made it to the river and sighed deeply in relief. Asriel whined, “That was really scary,”  
Chara nodded, “I do not think we could have defeated him.”  
A tear peaked from Asriel’s eye, “Why are there so many monsters around here? Is the monthly address over already?!”  
Chara approached Riverperson’s bell and rung it, “Then we must be careful on our way back.”  
Asriel nodded just as Riverperson arrived. The two turned and lightly bowed at them, Chara spoke, “Greetings once again, Riverperson.”  
Riverperson turned the head of their cloak, “Tra la la, greetings little Asriel, Chara.”  
Asriel gave a small smile, “We’re um… actually going to ride this time; we’re going back to Hotland. Can you take us there?”  
Riverperson nodded, “I see you two are treading your words carefully, I would be delighted to see you two on my boat again. Please, step aboard.”  
Chara and Asriel nodded before they carefully stepped aboard Riverperson’s boat. The two settled near the center of the boat and sat down. Riverperson faced forward and spoke, “Tra la la, to Hotlands we go.”

The boat glided off the riverbank, which only left behind small ripples in the water. Chara and Asriel each watched the water beside the boat intently. This was not unnoticed by Riverperson, “Tra la la, are you two watching the dry water?’  
Chara kept their eyes focused as they spoke, “We encountered the monster that escaped earlier and we do not know if it survived.”  
Riverperson’s tone descended slightly, “I see, it would be quite rude to attack this boat. If it does, well, you already know its fate.”  
Asriel nodded, “Thank you…. Riverperson.”  
“Of course, little Asriel.”

—————————————————————————

Asriel pressed the call button for the ‘L1’ elevator while Chara spoke with distain, “At least we passed by _his_ laboratory without any encounters.”  
Asriel turned and raised an eyebrow, “We only walked for a minute. How much could happen in a minute?”  
“You do not want the answer to that question.”

The elevator opened and the two stepped inside, Chara pressed the ‘L3’ button before the elevator doors closed. Asriel and Chara contented to wait for the elevator doors to open. The two stepped out and looked around in confusion. Asriel blinked, “Um, Chara, what button did you press?”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “I pressed L3,”  
Asriel giggled, “We're supposed to go to ‘R3’ silly.”

The two then heard the elevator door close behind them. Chara sighed and pressed the call button, “I suppose we will have to wait for it.”  
Asriel looked around and shivered, “I don’t like this place; I don’t think I’ve been to this part of Hotland before…”  
The surrounding platform was a metal of maroon and red. Cobwebs filled the corners of the platform and against the elevator. Asriel blinked, noticing the spider webs, “Oh! This must be where those spiders in Home were from.”  
Asriel giggled, “Maybe we could get some donuts while we wait!”  
Chara smirked, “Your mother will not appreciate you spoiling your appetite.”  
Asriel huffed, “We can have a snack, then have the stew when we get home! Or we could just save the donuts for home!”  
Chara started to walk with Asriel, “I will have mine on the way.”  
“But you just said-“  
Chara spoke coyly, “Too afraid to break her rules?”  
Asriel puffed his cheeks out, “Why are you so mean today?”  
Chara spoke dryly, “Being bitten does that to you.”  
“I was bitten too”  
“And now you’re breaking her rules by purchasing a donut.”

Chara looked ahead to see a stand, on display were a few treats and a drink while copies of these items were packed away behind the stand. One monster was at the stand, a humanoid monster with a lilac skin, six arms, and five eyes. Her hair was done up in pigtails with a large red bow to match her red and pink attire. She noticed Chara and Asriel quickly and spoke, “Ahuhuhu, customers! Come, dearies, my pastries are still fresh.”  
Asriel and Chara approached the stand, Asriel quickly fished out 14 gold and spoke presently, “Two spider donuts, please!”  
The spider-girl raised multiple eyebrows at the gold, “Dearie, you’re going to need more than that for just one donut”  
Two of her left arms pointed towards the price tag of the spider donuts, which caused Asriel to gasp, “9999 gold?! I can’t pay that much!”  
Muffet eyed Asriel, “Oh? Aren’t you stingy with your money? Is your…taste…”  
Her words trailed off as she sniffed the air, “That smell.”  
Chara and Asriel immediately widened their eyes before Chara started to hobble away with Asriel. The spider-girl chuckled, “Leaving so soon?”  
Webs launched at Asriel and Chara. Both of them let out a yelp as they soon became stuck to the floor. The spider-girl approached, licking her lips, “Our next batch needs something extra special. Something… Human.”


	24. Secrets

The spider-girl used her two lower right arms to stand Chara upright through the webs. Chara struggled to move through it as the spider-girl pulled Chara close to her, “Don’t worry, dearie, it’ll all be over soon.”  
Within a flash, the spider-girl bared her fangs, quickly sinking them into Chara’s neck. Chara winced, unable to move through the webbing. Asriel cried out, “No! Stop it!”  
The spider-girl removed her fangs after a couple seconds and seemed to ignore Asriel. She licked her teeth and raised her two upper hands to her cheeks, “My, just the right amount of sweetness in the blood. My human cupcakes will be better than before with blood like this!”

Chara’s muscles tensed, within the span of a few seconds, they felt themselves go numb and unable to move. Chara slumped over in her arms, eyes still open and still able to breathe, but no other functions came to them.  
Asriel grunted and summoned a fire bauble before he shrieked, “Stop it!”  
The spider-girl looked past Chara and down at Asriel, smiling all the while, “Oh don’t worry; I will give you one at a discounted price for giving this human to me.”  
Asriel sent the fire bauble to the threads, “I don’t want your cupcakes! I want you to let them go!”

The spider girl chuckled and snapped her fingers; a multitude of web strings shot from above onto the half-cocoon of webs that held Chara. Within seconds, Chara was lifted above them. Asriel cried out as he tried to stand but fell over and cradled his wounded leg. The spider-girl mused towards Asriel, “Don’t be silly! I would never let such a rare ingredient waltz out of my web. Who do you think I am?”  
Asriel tried to stand as he spoke, “Miss Muffet.”  
The spider-girl raised multiple eyebrows, “Oh, so you do know?”  
Asriel nodded, he tried to keep his voice calm an polite, all the while struggling to stand, “Yeah, the spiders in Home talked about you and how they wanted to get back to you.”  
Asriel nearly fell once again, but Muffet kept him steady. Asriel blinked and looked up at Muffet, who bore a curious look, “You know the spiders that are trapped in Home?”  
Asriel nodded, “Y-yeah, I buy donuts and cider from them all the time when I visit.”  
Muffet narrowed her eyes before clapping her middle hands, “Fetch me the sales reports from Home.”  
Asriel gawked as two spiders lowered a few sheets of paper down to Muffet, which she quickly grabbed. She poured through them as she spoke, “What is your name?”  
Asriel gulped, “Asriel… Dreemurr.”  
Muffet blinked, “Ah yes. It says here you are quite a loyal customer.”  
She gave a genuine smile, “Enough for our VIP service.”  
“…VIP service?”  
Muffet raised her upper left arm with her index finger raised, “Why, to save your life once.”  
Asriel’s eyes widened in horror as his mind wandered back to his previous visit to Home with Chara. After a few seconds, he looked up at Muffet, a newfound, different shock in his eyes. He spoke, his voice wavered with each word, “I…. I’d like to use it.”

Muffet raised a few eyebrows, “What?”  
Asriel’s voice became more confident, he shouted, “I want to use it to save Chara!”  
Muffet’s eyes widened for a moment before she smiled sweetly and giggled, “Wouldn’t you rather save it for yourself, dearie? There are many dangerous monsters-“  
“No!” Asriel swiftly cut Muffet off, “I want to use it now, and use it for Chara!”  
He fell to his knees once again and started to cry, “Please…. Chara’s my best friend. If I… If I lost them I don’t know what I’d do… Please….”

Muffet crossed her arms and scratched her chin as she thought for a solid minute. She constantly shifted her gaze in-between Chara, Asriel, and her papers. She frowned and huffed, her hands on her hips and glaring down at Asriel, “Very well. I will let them go.”  
Asriel’s eyes beamed, “Really!?”  
Muffet waved a finger and stressed her words, “However! Should I find them in my web again, well… there will be no second redemption of this service. Understood?”  
Asriel nodded, “Yes ma’am!”

Muffet mumbled and snapped her fingers, the spiders slowly lowered Chara down until they were settled on the ground. Asriel immediately dug through the webs and found them limp, but still breathing. He looked up at Muffet, “What did you do to them!?”  
Muffet rolled her eyes, “Relax, they are only paralyzed. It will wear off in an hour.”  
She then gave a coy smile, “But…. If you do need them to walk…”  
She reached into one of her pockets and revealed a vial with a yellow liquid, “You may purchase this anti-venom for the low price of… 200 gold!”  
Asriel sighed before fishing the gold out of his backpack, he frowned, “My whole allowance…”  
Muffet smiled as she took the gold, “Thank you for your business!”

She gave the yellow vial to Asriel, “It works best if injected into the bloodstream, but also works if they drink it.”  
She giggled, “But it won’t taste good and will take a few minutes to take effect.”  
Asriel ignored Muffet as they continued to free Chara from the webbing. He then laid Chara’s back on his lap. He made sure Chara’s head was steady before he opened the vial and slowly poured the anti-venom into Chara’s mouth. He closed their mouth manually and rubbed Chara’s throat slowly. After a few minutes, Chara coughed and started to move weakly. Asriel beamed, “Chara!”  
Asriel hugged them for a moment before he pulled away, “Are you okay?”  
Chara kept an eye on Muffet as they spoke, “I am fine. Let us leave.”  
Asriel nodded, “Can you stand?”  
Chara nodded and stood slowly, they stretched as they felt control over their limbs again. Asriel limped over to Chara before the two slowly walked toward the elevator with Asriel leaning on Chara. The two left without a word. Muffet sighed, “I suppose I will have to spread my web to capture it again.”  
She blinked as she saw a spider approach her with a few papers, “Oh?”  
She gently took the papers and she mused, “Oh! New reports from the Home spiders.”  
She read the paper over until she came across something. She squinted her eyes before she giggled, anger seeped into her tone, “That dirty little cheat.”  
She set the papers down, “I’ll bake his dust into my donuts.”  
Among the papers was a statement; Asriel Dreemurr had redeemed his VIP service in Home.

—————————————————————————————————

Asriel shook, his knees almost buckled in the elevator if not for Chara holding him up, “That was too close!”  
Chara laughed, “I heard the entire exchange. Who knew you could lie like that?”  
Asriel whined with a few tears in the corner of his eyes, “I was so scared…”  
Chara mused, “And extremely lucky her records were outdated.”  
Asriel sniffled, “Yeah…”

The elevator doors opened before the two hobbled out and towards the Core. The scientists they passed by rushed by, most grumbling in frustration. They approached the elevator just as a small monster rounded a corner with a large stack of paper blocking their view. The monster groaned and struggled to keep all of the papers with them before bumping into Asriel and Chara. The three tumbled to the ground, completely covered in papers. The small monster spoke in a female, nasally voice, “I’m so sorry! I- OH MY GOSH! I-I’m so sorry Prince Dreemurr!”  
Asriel groaned, “It’s okay…”  
Asriel and Chara saw that the small monster extended her arm down to the two of them, “I-I couldn’t see where I was going…let me help you up.”  
Asriel took the monster’s hand, but Chara stood themselves up. Asriel gave a worried look, “Here, I’ll help with the papers.”  
The small monster closed in on herself, “N-no! I… I couldn’t possibly ask you-“  
Asriel waved it off, “It’s okay! Really! Um… what’s your name?”  
“A-Alphys. I’m just an intern right now…”  
Asriel smiled, “Nice to meet you!”

Chara and Asriel helped Alphys pick up the papers for a few moments before Asriel asked, “So, what’s all this for?”  
Alphys sighed, “A lot of it is for the investigation. Mostly safety and hazard reports for the Core area.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “And you are doing this by yourself?”  
Alphys shook her head, “No, not at all! I’m just… taking all the reports back to the lab where most of the investigators are.”  
Asriel mused, “So… how is this investigation going?”  
Alphys nodded, “Well, we have found several unsafe practices, particularly around the Core. Lack of railings due to lack of suitable material, causing a number of monsters to sadly… fall in.”  
Asriel frowned, “That’s terrible!”  
Alphys was quick to reply, “Bu-but that’s not Dr. Gaster’s fault! He’s really trying all that he can to improve our working conditions! We just… just don’t have enough material, and Hotland can only produce good metal so quickly…”  
Chara’s tone tensed, “And… what has he been doing during this investigation?”  
Alphys sighed, gathering the last of the papers, “He’s…. actually been sequestering himself…. He only talks to the investigators as much as he has to. The rest of the time he’s… in his private lab doing…. Something. Even his personal assistant won’t tell us what he’s up to.”  
Chara and Asriel shared a nervous glance towards each other before Asriel looked back at Alphys and smiled, “Thanks for telling us this… we’ve been curious about the investigation and dad won’t tell us anything.”  
Alphys nodded, “Glad to help, but I really should be going.”  
Asriel and Chara leaned on each other and entered the Core elevator with a goodbye to Alphys. Alphys blinked and looked back at the now closed elevator, “Wait… us?”

———————————————————————————————  
Chara and Asriel made their way home without any more issues. Asriel sighed and collapsed to his knees, “We’re home.”  
Chara relaxed as they heard Toriel speak from the living room, “Ah, were you two successful in your search?”  
They heard steps from the living room as Toriel approached the door. She then gasped at the sight of them, “What happened?!”  
Asriel sat in the center of the floor, “A siren monster attacked Chara.”  
Chara frowned, “I could not help for most of the encounter because of its singing.”  
Toriel leaned down and sighed, she cradled Chara’s hand, “Was this the only- your neck!”  
Toriel lightly brushed Chara’s hair aside to see Muffet’s bite, “These bites do not appear to be from the same monster. What else happened?”  
Asriel frowned, “We accidentally pressed the wrong button in Hotland and went to Miss Muffet’s.”  
Toriel went over to Asriel, “And you have been bitten as well…”  
Asriel nodded, “It’s okay, I used those bandages on both of us and Chara helped me back.”  
Asriel then dug through the backpack and pulled out the Polaroid photo paper, “And look! We got the photo paper!”  
Toriel lowered the paper, “But at the cost of these injuries! Asriel, do you realize you might not be able to walk for a week?”  
Asriel looked down at the floor, “I’m sorry, mom…”  
Toriel pulled Chara and Asriel into a hug, “You are safe now,”  
She pulled away and gave a strict tone, “But this proves it was too early for you to be exploring the Underground. Chara will need more training and… perhaps when your leg is healed, you could learn a few things as well, Asriel.”  
Asriel nodded, “Okay.”

Another set of feet came from the other side of the house, “Chara? Asriel?”  
Asgore rushed down the hall in a blue sweater and kneeled with his family, “You are hurt again! I thought during the monthly address you two would be safe to explore…”  
Chara spoke up, “There were very few monsters around, but a monster that could control my body was present.”  
Asriel nodded, “Uh-huh! When it sung, Chara’s body went stiff and they kinda walked towards it.”  
Asriel scratched his head, “Except with the waterfall.”  
Toriel frowned, “What do you mean?”  
Asriel looked over at Toriel, “Um… the second time the siren came was when we were at the dump, it was under the big waterfall that goes out of the dump. I think it tried to make Chara fall off it but…. They just stopped at the edge and shook.”  
Asgore sighed, “Controlling someone is a powerful magic, but even with that magic it is very difficult to directly control someone to their own death.”  
Chara mused, “Asriel told me to be careful of that waterfall, so I suppose I subconsciously thought it would kill me.”  
Asgore tussled Chara’s hat, “You must have a very strong will, Chara. I am glad you two returned without harsher wounds.”  
Chara nodded, “We also bumped into a scientist in the Core. She said that Gaster’s secluded himself during the investigation.”  
Toriel and Asgore’s expression became serious. Asgore raised an eyebrow, “I had heard that he was cooperating, despite not being very involved, but seclusion?”  
Asriel nodded, “Yeah, she said he’s been in his private lab most of the time, and no one knows what he’s doing in there.”  
Asgore mused, “I will ask the investigation team to look into this. In the meantime, you two should rest.”  
Toriel nodded, “Have you two eaten yet?”  
Asriel shook his head, “No, not yet.”  
Toriel smiled, “Then I will heat up the stew and sit you two down for a meal. Come, after an experience such as that, you will need it.”


	25. Roleplay

“Dad, can you get the camera?” Asriel finished his snail stew and set the messy bowl down before he spoke. Asgore nodded before he stood from his chair, “Yes, let us see if this paper was all that was needed.”  
Asgore quickly retrieved the Polaroid camera and set it on the table in between Asriel and Chara. Toriel approached her family as Asriel used his claws to open the package of photo paper and install one piece into its proper slot. Asriel giggled as he held the camera ready, “Hey Chara!”  
Chara glanced towards Asriel in confusion. Asriel quickly snapped a picture of the confused Chara; the camera whirled and the paper moved through the camera, becoming black. Asriel took the photo and huffed, “It’s all bla- oh!”  
He noticed the picture appear slowly, which caused him to beam and showed the picture to Chara, “Look! It works! You were right all along Chara! It just needed the paper!”

Chara frowned and took the picture; it was merely a picture of them with a confused gaze in the moment Asriel quickly took the picture. They frowned as they readied their hands at the top of the picture before Toriel swiped it, “Now, Chara, it may not be the best picture, but there is no reason to destroy it.”  
Asriel whined, “You were gonna rip it?! You’re mean!”  
Chara grumbled, “I did not give you permission to take a picture.”  
Asriel huffed, “But I wanted to see if it worked.”  
Toriel patted Asriel and Chara’s heads, “Now, now, there is no need for this arguing. Besides, would it not be better for the entire family to have a photograph together?”  
Asriel smiled, “Yeah, it would!”  
Chara narrowed their eyes, “Who would take it?”  
Toriel blinked, “Oh my, that is right! We cannot take a proper photograph of our family without someone else taking the picture.”  
Asriel moaned, “Why can’t this be easier to do?!”  
Toriel leaned down and gently held the camera, “I am sure we will think of something.”  
Asgore spoke with disappointment, “I hope so.”

Chara quickly changed the topic as Toriel secured the camera and the picture on a high shelf, “Did anything happen at this monthly address?”  
Asgore chuckled lightly as he made his way back to his seat, “Nothing that you need to concern yourself with.”  
Asriel glanced towards Asgore with concern, “Does that mean no one has asked you about the rumor about Chara?”  
Asgore paused and gave a weary sigh, “One of the Royal Guard did ask me if I had heard the rumor.”  
Asriel gasped, “Oh no…”  
Asgore shook his head and raised his hand, “Now, now, it is of no concern. They merely asked if I had heard the rumor, nothing more.”  
Toriel returned to the table, “To which we both replied that we had not heard the rumor, as we had decided to.”  
Chara mused, “So now the Royal Guard suspects my presence.”  
Asgore spoke firmly, “No, they were merely informing me of a rumor. I can assure you, none of the guard know or suspect your presence.”  
Asriel gave a nervous chuckle, “That’s a relief, right, Chara?”  
Asgore smiled, “But enough about that, did you find anything else at the dump?”  
Asriel nodded, “Uh-huh!”

Asriel reached down for the backpack but was stopped by Toriel, “Careful, we do not want to agitate the bite. I will put the backpack on the table.”  
Toriel leaned down to grab the backpack before Asriel furiously dug through it, “We got some more colored paper and um… we found this!”  
Asriel pulled out the water-damaged cookbook he had found. Toriel smiled, “A new cookbook! How wonderful!”  
Chara mused, “I would not be too excited, most of the pages appear to be damaged.”  
Toriel gave small smile, “Yes, but it is still something new. I will try to dry it without damaging it further later.”  
Toriel gently held the cookbook and took it into the kitchen as Asgore spoke, “Along with the photo paper, these are wonderful finds.”  
Asriel started to open the package of construction paper, “Thanks dad!”  
Asgore glanced over at Chara, “Did you find any of this?”  
Chara lightly shook their head, “No, it was all found by Asriel.”  
Asriel frowned, “Don’t worry, Chara, I’m sure you’ll find something really nice next time!”

Toriel returned from the kitchen, “There, it will slowly dry now.”  
Asriel stood in his chair and turned towards Toriel, “I hope the book has something really nice!”  
Toriel frowned, “Do not stand on the chair. Especially not with that wound.”  
Asriel sat down, “Okay, sorry.”  
Asgore waved a finger and exclaimed proudly, “I believe I have an idea on how we may have our family picture.”  
Toriel raised an eyebrow, “Yes?”  
Asgore spoke cautiously, “There are many older monsters in the underground whose sense of smell and sight have waned, perhaps we could ask one of them to take the photograph?”  
Toriel scratched her chin, “It would seem like it would work, but we would have to be rather selective.”  
Asgore stood, “I will search right away.”

Asgore turned to leave and Toriel nodded and turned towards Asriel and Chara, “In the meantime, you two will rest. In bed.”  
Asriel moaned, “I’m fi-OWWW! That hurts, mom!“  
Toriel lightly tugged on Asriel’s ear while she raised her voice and chastised, “You will not talk back to me about this and you will not walk on that leg until it is fully healed.”  
Asriel whined, “Yes… mom.”  
Toriel nodded and glanced at Chara, whom winced at Toriel’s glance. Her voice did not dip as she continued to chastise and stress her words, “And you will be careful with that hand. You will use your left hand for everything and keep that hand bandaged. Understood?”  
Chara shrunk down, covered their head on the table and shook. Their spoke out in a small voice, “Y-yes ma’am.”  
Toriel gave out a light gasp, “Chara? Are you alright?”  
Asriel spoke out in worry, “Chara?”  
Toriel tried to rub Chara’s back only to have them gasp and scream out, “NO! Please! Stop!”  
Chara sobbed, “I’ll be good… I swear…”

Asgore rushed down the hall, halfway into his armor, “What happened? What is wrong?”  
Toriel shook her head and stepped back from Chara, “I don’t know! I think they are having a panic attack.”  
Asgore walked up to Chara, “Chara, listen to my voice; what you are experiencing, it is not real. You are not there.”  
Asriel frowned and leaned towards Chara, “It’s okay, Chara! You’re here with us.”  
Chara’s sobbing slowed, “It’s… not… real.”  
Asgore nodded, “Yes.”  
Chara deeply sighed, “I am underground.”  
Asriel nodded, “Yes.”

Chara lifted their head and wiped the tears from their eyes, “Thank you, I…”  
Toriel sighed, “There is no need to explain it, I will be more careful not to bring your mind back to that.”  
Asriel hugged Chara, “You’re gonna be okay.”  
Chara chuckled, “Are you going to start crying now?”  
Asriel puffed his cheeks, “You’re mean. I’m trying to help.”  
Chara pulled away from the hug, “I am better.”  
Asgore sighed, “This is a process, you cannot leave your past behind that easily.”  
Toriel leaned inward, “We are all here for you, if anything we do makes you uncomfortable, you are allowed to say something before it causes you distress.”  
Chara crossed their arms, “Very well, I will speak up when needed.”

—————————————————————————————-

Asriel hummed as he drew on blue construction paper. He sat up in bed with a tray in front of him to color on top of. Chara, however, was reading a book, using their left hand to turn the pages while the book lay flat on their legs. They glanced over at Asriel, “Would you mind humming quietly?”  
Asriel looked over at Chara, “Oh, sorry, I guess I’m so used to it not bothering mom and dad. Is it bad?”  
Chara closed their book, “No, but it is distracting. What is that song?”  
Asriel blushed, “It’s… just an old lullaby mom and dad sung to me when I was younger.”  
Chara shifted their gaze towards the paper, noticing a large number of crayons near the drawing, “What are you drawing?”  
Asriel beamed, “It’s almost done! Gimme a second!”  
Chara raised an eyebrow as Asriel grabbed a crayon and furiously scribbled. He did this with three other crayons before he put down all the crayons, “And done!”  
He held the drawing up, “Behold!”  
Asriel held a drawing Chara could not see clearly at first. Their eyes were first drawn to the multitude of colors held within large wings spread out from the figure Asriel drew. Its head appeared to be that a goat-monster, much like Asriel but older, though not as old as Toriel or Asgore. Energy seemed to flare upwards, making its shoulders. At the base was a circle that only held a heart, but an elongated heart protruded from it to serve as legs. The arms were longer than the legs, also holding a heart, just above the wrists.

Chara squinted their eyes, “What is that?”  
Asriel spoke proudly, “The God of Hyperdeath! The angel that will save the underground!”  
Chara burst into laughter, falling back onto their bed and their legs flailed slightly. Asriel blushed, “Chara!”  
Chara continued to laugh, “What is that suppose to mean? ‘Hyperdeath’?”  
Asriel crossed his arms and puffed his cheeks, “Then um…. You do better!”  
Chara slowed their laughter, “What?”  
Asriel nodded, “Yeah! You make your own character!”  
Chara sits up and shows their right hand while they raised an eyebrow, “And how do you propose I draw when my drawing hand is damaged?”  
Asriel huffed, “Then just… make something up!”

Chara sighed and thought for a moment, they soon smirked, “Very well, then I shall be the hero that slays the fabled God of Hyperdeath.”  
Asriel whined, “That’s not fair!”  
He pointed to the drawing, “No mere human could slay a god! Especially not one that was a monster before he became a god!”  
Chara chuckled, “But if they knew magic and were determined, they could strike the God down.”  
“But not kill him.”  
Chara shrugged, “Very well. Then they would become the God’s bane, striking him down whenever he appeared.”  
Asriel snickered, “But a human can’t outlive a god,”  
Chara raised a finger on their left hand, “Correct, but we can reincarnate.”  
Asriel blinked, “Rein… what?”  
Chara sighed, “It’s when a human soul comes back as a newborn.”  
Asriel’s eyes widened, “You can do that?!”  
Chara snarked, “I would have to die, and hope my soul is not devoured.”  
Asriel mused, “Maybe that’s why human souls are so powerful; because they can exist forever.”  
“And yet a monster can live for ages.”  
Asriel chuckled slightly, “I guess that’s fair.”  
Chara chuckled darkly, “See? The hero is already winning.”  
Asriel huffed and crossed his arms, “You merely caught the God of Hyperdeath in a weakened state!”  
Sparks of excitement and determination entered Asriel’s gaze, “But mark my words well, human! Once I am healed, no amount of training or reincarnation will save you from the God of Hyperdeath!”  
Chara chuckles, “I look forward to the challenge.”  
The two chuckled before continue to develop the story of the human fighting a god. From abilities to backstory to many different facets of their new fascination. It wasn’t until deep into the night that they eventually passed out from exhaustion with many drawings and notes on both of their beds.

—————————————————————————

“Chara, you are not ready for a weapon,” Asgore stressed his words. About a week later, the entire Dreemurr family stood or sat in the garden. Asriel and Toriel currently sat near the edge of the flowerbeds while Chara and Asgore lightly sparred. Asriel and Chara’s wounds from Shyren were healed, though Asriel was content to watch Chara instead of joining them this session. Chara frowned and relaxed their stance, “I must learn at some point.”  
Asgore sighed, “You are accomplishing many of the basics, but you still have much to learn before you are ready to carry a weapon. If you were not wounded then you might be ready, but it is simply not an option as you are now.”  
Chara lowered their stance, “Then I will prove I am ready.”  
Asgore readied his own stance, “Very well; prove to me you have mastered what I have taught you thus far.”

With what appeared to be a flash to Chara, Asgore dashed before Chara, much to their shock. Despite this, they dodged to the side in time and kept their body facing Asgore. Toriel called out, “Be careful, dear! They are still learning.”  
Asgore nodded, “I will merely challenge them.”  
Chara lifted their arms in a defensive stance, “Then challenge me.”  
Asgore moved quickly once again, “Do not be overconfident!”  
Asgore elbowed Chara in the back, just enough to wind them. Chara coughed and took one knee before they realized Asgore had grasped one of their arms. He spoke, “An opponent will not give you the chance to recover as we have been training.”  
Chara growled before they ripped themselves away from Asgore’s grasp and went to strike his side with their fist. Asgore easily blocked the blow before using that force against Chara. They grabbed Chara by the collar of their sweater and pushed Chara down in the direction of their strike. Chara hit the ground but quickly recovered, the spark of determination never left their eyes. Asgore charged Chara again but this time Chara parried the light punch before ducking under Asgore’s arm and striking a pressure point near the elbow and dodging to the side. Asgore nodded, “Very good, you are starting to put the latest techniques to use.”

Chara said nothing, their eyes now cold and observant; they awaited Asgore’s next strike. Asgore mused, “Very well, if you desire no more words.”  
Asgore summoned a few baubles of flame, “Then there will be no more words.”  
Toriel gasped and stood before she spoke with a strict tone, “Asgore!”  
Asgore gave Toriel a gentle glance, “Do not worry, Tori. Please, trust me.”  
Toriel crossed her arms and sat, “Three burns.”  
Asgore nodded, “Very well.”  
Asgore turned back towards Chara, “If you are hit three times, then today’s training will end and you will not begin weapons training until you do so.”  
Chara lowered their stance once more, ready to move at a moment’s notice. The fire dashed towards Chara and Chara dodged two to the left before they dashed towards Asgore. Flames came for them left and right, some tried to flank Chara. Chara ducked under these flames and rolled before continuing their dash towards Asgore. It was then Chara felt a stinging sensation on their left leg. They grunted before they dodged to the right to avoid to more fireballs. Asgore spoke calmly, “One.”

Chara growled and gave a war cry before running towards Asgore once again. They continued to dodge Asgore’s flames, their eyes darted back and forth to keep an eye on incoming flames. Within seconds, Chara knew they would soon be in striking range. They were then aware that flames surrounded them. They skidded and dodged under to the side, avoiding the flames. Asgore spoke out, “Two.”

Chara was about to call out when they felt it; their right shoe became hot. Chara quickly kicked it off before they rolled to dodge more flames. They quickly used that roll to stand and charge once again. They dodged a few more flames before they readied their fist. They cried out and extended their right arm to punch Asgore. They only found themselves that they flowed onto Asgore’s chest. The chest rumbled deeply, and Chara peered upwards to see Asgore chuckle. He then lightly tussled Chara’s hair and stepped back, “You pass.”  
Chara’s eyes lit up, “Does that mean?…”  
Asgore nodded, “We will begin weapons training.”  
Toriel cleared her throat, “But first, we will tend to those burns.”


	26. Photographs

Toriel smiled, “There we are,”  
Toriel quickly bandaged and tended to Chara’s two burn wounds on their legs. Toriel then carefully held Chara’s melted shoe by a claw, “I will look into replacing it. You will have to wear the slippers for the remainder of this session.”  
Chara nodded and slipped their feet into a pair of faux-fur slippers on the edge of the garden. Chara mused as they adjusted their footing in the slippers, “My maneuverability will be limited in these.”  
Asgore gently patted Chara’s shoulder, “It will be fine; we must start with basic techniques for your weapon after all. Have you given any thought to what kind of weapon you would like?”  
Chara nodded, “A knife.”  
Toriel blinked, “As in a kitchen knife? Not a dagger?”  
Chara held one of their arms, “I have used one… before.”  
Toriel gave a saddened frown, “You do not have to speak about it if you do not what to. I can already tell the thought makes you uncomfortable.”

Chara gave a deep sigh before they released the grip of their arm. Asgore scratched his head, “I had suspected a smaller weapon, but I do not think I have a wooden kitchen knife.”  
Asriel nodded and moved to the side, which revealed a small sack behind him. Asgore approached the sack and dug through it, “Ah, this would be the most similar.”  
Asgore pulled out a wooden dagger with a seven-inch ‘blade’. It appeared as though only one side of the blade was ‘sharpened’ while the other was lightly serrated. Asgore handed the dagger to Chara, “For now, you will use this.”  
Chara stood back a couple paces and swung the blade a few times, “It feels too light.”  
Asgore gave a patient smile, “It is only used for training,”  
Chara sighed, “Very well. When will I carry the real thing?”  
Asgore scratched his beard and kneeled down next to Chara, “You first need a place to stow it. It would not be wise to carry a knife in plain view. We have already discussed this issue.”  
Chara mused and gently held their chin, “So the knife needs to remain hidden, as well its holster.”  
Chara pointed to their back, “How about on my back?”  
Asgore nodded, “The holster would be very complicated, you would also have to hide it under your clothes.”  
Chara nodded and pointed near their hip, “Then what about lower, tightly attached to a belt?”  
Asgore smiled, “Yes, that should work. You must remember to not tuck your sweater in from now on then.”

Chara immediately untucked their sweater and lowered their stance, “I am ready.”  
Asgore approached and shook his head, “We must go over the basics and the proper ways to swing and parry with the blade.”  
Asgore gently held Chara’s right arm, “It is the same as using your fists; you must put your entire body into the motion. Simply swinging does not work.”  
Chara nodded before Asgore stepped away and continued, “Step forward slightly and swing downwards.”

Chara took a deep breath before they complied, their swing seemed hesitant and with a focus on the blade itself. Asgore approached, “You are focusing too much on the blade and not enough on your arm. Any weapon is an extension of yourself. Try to imagine the blade as your hand instead of in it.”

Chara complied, this time swinging with their whole body. Asgore smiled, “Very good. Now let us try side-to-side swing. Ready the blade just beneath your shoulder, then swing outwards.”  
Toriel spoke up as Chara complied, “I believe that is enough for today, we must make time for dinner.”  
Chara relaxed their stance, “I have barely started.”  
Toriel stood, “Indeed you have only started with weapons, but you have still trained here for hours without them. It is time to go.”  
Asgore sighed and took the wooden dagger, “We will have to continue this tomorrow.”  
Chara rolled their eyes before they walked towards the door, “Very well.”

Toriel helped Asriel up before the four made their way back home. Toriel immediately went to the kitchen to start on dinner while Asgore opened the door and smiled, “Ah, a letter.”  
Asriel approached, “What is it?”  
Asgore chuckled, “I must read it before I can tell you that, Asriel.”  
Asgore carefully opened the letter and smiled, “What wonderful news!”  
He rushed into the living room, “Toriel!”  
Toriel peaked her head from the kitchen with concern, “What is it, Gorey?”  
Asgore held the letter to her, “We have someone to take our family photograph!”  
Toriel examined the letter as Asriel and Chara ran up to them. Asriel beamed, giddy and gleeful, “We do!? We’re finally gonna have our family picture?!”  
Toriel blinked, “Oh! I know him, Mr. Gerson, correct?”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “The old tortoise?”  
Asgore looked down towards Chara, “You have encountered him?”  
Chara nodded, “It was dark, so he could not tell I was human.”  
Toriel frowned, “Oh dear, will this work then?”  
Asgore gently grasped Toriel’s hand, “I promise you; it will work. He will be at the castle tomorrow morning. I think the garden will be the best place.”  
Toriel nodded before she turned her gaze towards her children, “That means you two will wash up tomorrow morning.”  
Asriel moaned, “Please don’t make us wear stuffy clothes.”  
Toriel giggled, “No, Asriel, I won’t. Besides, Chara would not have a matching set. I believe your sweaters will work well enough.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Mom, we’re fine!” Asriel whined as Toriel adjusted minor details with Asriel and Chara’s outfits and hair. Toriel adjusted Chara’s hat before finally taking it off, “Asriel, please do not use that tone with me.”  
Asriel pouted and crossed his arms, “But we’re fine!”  
Toriel turned her gaze towards Asriel and smirked lightly, “With your ears not brushed? I do not think so.”  
Asriel grasped his ears and walked down the hall in defeat, mumbling to himself. Toriel smiled towards Chara, “You too, I do not think the hat will be necessary, besides, it tends to hide your beautiful eyes.”

Chara blushed and looked away, not willing to say a thing. Toriel frowned before she kneeled down, “Did they make you ashamed of your eyes?”  
Chara gritted their teeth behind their enclosed lips. They said nothing before Toriel continued, “I see, such a shame. They must have been scared by them, being the color of blood.”  
She lightly turned Chara’s head before she looked into Chara’s eyes, “But at least we can appreciate them, to us, any color can be beautiful.”

Chara pulled away, closed in on themselves, and blushed furiously. Toriel stood and gave a patient smile, “Please brush your hair, our photographer should arrive at the castle any minute. We must meet him in the throne room.”  
Chara paused and looked up at Toriel, “I will see the throne room?”  
Toriel nodded, “I know you have been curious about it, but it is only a simple room, at least until Asgore finds plants that can survive in the room.”  
She patted Chara’s shoulder, “Now quickly, brush your hair.”

Chara nodded and walked down the hall and quickly brushed their hair. Toriel smiled at her two children as she now held the camera and a small stack of the photo paper, “There, much better.”  
Asriel whined slightly, “Can we go now?”  
Toriel nodded, “Your father is waiting for us.”

Toriel, Asriel, and Chara slowly walked through the hallways of the castle; they passed by the view of New Home and through the Last Corridor. Chara once again couldn’t help but stare at the murals depicting the history of monsters. Asriel giggled and Toriel smiled, “You look at them as though you have not seen them before.”  
Chara spoke with the gaze still locked on the murals, “I did not have much time to see them when I first entered this hall.”  
“I am surprised you decided against sneaking out to see it again.”  
Chara chuckled lightly, “I am sure with my injuries the Royal Guard would have caught me easily.”  
“Point taken.”

The three walked in silence as they exited the hall, they entered a long grey hallway like the one before the Last Corridor. They turned another corner to see a large entrance. Chara marveled at the size of the entryway before they stepped through and saw the throne room. A golden room, much like the Last Corridor, to the left there were a few windows with a view of New Home. The center of the room housed two thrones, side by side, with Asgore on the left-side throne. Behind the thrones was another doorway and a window beside it.

Asgore stood from his throne and smiled at his family, “You’ve all made it.”  
Toriel’s eyes lightly swept over the room, “And our guest has yet to arrive, I see.”  
Asriel perked up, “So, where’s the Royal Guard? Isn’t there usually one guard around this area?”  
Asgore smiled, “I made sure there was a training regiment today, so we would not be disturbed.”  
Toriel walked up to Asgore and nuzzled his nose, “That will give us more than enough time.”  
The family gathered around the thrones but Chara gazed towards the doorway, “What is back there?”  
The Dreemurrs paused for a moment before Asgore spoke with a frown, “Perhaps… it would be better to show you rather than explain.”  
Toriel slowly sat in her throne, “I will stay here in case Gerson arrives before you return.”  
Asriel perked up, “I’m coming too!”

Asgore led Chara and Asriel down a carved tunnel before they entered a doorway similar to one seen in Home. Chara could see a glow from the room within, they instinctually squinted their eyes. Asgore stopped them after a few feet into the room. He spoke with his arm extended, “Look.”  
Chara rubbed their eyes and squinted again before their eyes finally adjusted. They froze and their eyes widened. A small, audible gasp escaped them. They stepped up a few more feet, just to see if it was an illusion. They extended an arm and found it was not. Before them was a wall of shimmering white, fading in and out like a mist. They could easily see beyond it, and an equivalent of a large room beyond the wall was a natural exit. They could see the sun pouring onto the cliff side. Tiny plants budded far from the entryway, favoring the sun. The plants swayed in a gentle wind that Chara could now feel through the barrier. A tear fell from Chara’s eye before they spoke, “This is…”  
Asgore stood next to Chara on their right, “Yes; this is the barrier. This is what keeps us all trapped underground.”  
Chara held their sweater around their locket, “And what seven human souls can break.”  
Asgore frowned and looked down at Chara, “But you are not one of those seven.”  
Asriel came up next to Chara on their left and grasped Chara’s left hand, “Cross our hearts, remember?”  
Chara nodded and wiped away their tear, “I needed a reminder.”

Chara turned their gaze towards the exit, “I did not realize… how much I missed the view of the sky. Can you see the stars at night from here?”  
Asgore shook his head, “No, once night falls, you can only see darkness and a few feet away from the barrier. We can view the sunset, however barely, and for only a small window.”  
Asriel smiled, “We all used to come here in the evening and watch the sunset.”  
He frowned, “But I… one day kinda figured out that I’d only see that part of the world outside.”  
Chara balled their fist, “No.”  
Asriel and Asgore both raised an eyebrow before Chara continued, “You will see more someday. Even if you have to use-“  
“Stop right there, Chara.” Asgore interrupted swiftly, causing Chara to jump slightly, “We will never use your soul for the barrier. Not even if you beg us on your deathbed. We promised to protect you and we extend it to your body and soul.”

Chara paused before they faced Asgore, “Do you hate humanity?”  
Asgore blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question, Asriel answered first, “What do you mean, Chara?”  
Chara continued, “You know well what I mean. We locked you away, banished you to starve to death. Humans...”  
Chara grasped their locket, “We are nothing more than disgusting creatures.”  
Asgore kneeled down, “That was ages ago, Chara. You are not responsible for what happened back then.”  
He pulled Chara into a hug, “I cannot hate humans, they sustained us, and you are proof that humans are not all bad.”  
Asriel nodded, “You’re the only human I know, how can I hate them when I don’t know them?”  
Chara paused, “I suppose you are correct.”  
Asgore stood and patted Chara’s shoulder, “Come, let us see if our guest has arrived.”

Chara nodded before the three of them returned to the throne room without another word. They found that their guest had not arrived yet. Toriel stood and smiled, “We should have showed you earlier, but so much had happened.”  
Chara nodded, “It is fine, but thank you for showing me.”  
Asgore returned to his throne, “I am surprised our guest had not arrived while we were gone.”  
Toriel stood, “Perhaps I should see if he is within the castle, he is elderly.”  
“Just because I’m elderly doesn’t make me helpless!” A voice sounded from just beyond the entrance to the throne room. With a few steps, Gerson entered the throne room, his knees slightly shook while his weight was aided by a walking stick. In the light of the throne room, Chara and Asriel noticed one of Gerson’s eyes was permanently closed. Asgore and Toriel immediately went over to him. Asgore spoke, “Thank you for coming all this way. I do hope the trip was kind to you.”  
Gerson chuckled, “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”  
Toriel held the camera in front of Gerson, “Do you know how to use this model?”  
Gerson took the camera and examined it closely, “Hmm, yeah it looks simple enough. So, you said you wanted a few pictures in your garden?”  
Asgore nodded, “I am sure this should not take too much of your time.”

The group began to walk, Asriel and Chara trailed behind their parents and Gerson. Asriel twiddled with his thumbs nervously while Chara kept a keen eye on Gerson. Gerson smiled, “Eh, I don’t have much to do these days. Better than listening to that stupid rumor about a human falling down here.”  
Asgore sighed, “Yes, the rumor has reached our ears but… we find no reason to believe it to be true.”  
Gerson smirked, “Yeah, some monsters’ll believe anything. But there is one rumor that has some weight to it.”  
Toriel raised an eyebrow, “The one where monsters are starting to disappear?”  
Gerson nodded, “Yeah, there’s this aaron I know, no one’s seen him for over a week.”  
Chara and Asriel shared a quick glance before Asgore continued, “Unfortunately, many of our resources are tied up in another investigation. But I assure you, once that investigation is complete in a few days, we have made arrangements to look into these disappearances in depth.”  
Gerson smirked, “Sounds good to me,”

Soon the five entered the garden. Toriel looked down at Chara and Asriel, “Why don’t you two pick a bouquet of flowers for the photo?”  
Asgore smiled, “That is a wonderful idea. The buttercups, posies, and daisies should do nicely.”  
Gerson scratched his head as he looked down at Chara and Asriel as they picked flowers, “Say…. Haven’t I seen you two somewhere?”  
Chara and Asriel tensed before Asriel spoke, “Yeah… back in Waterfall.”  
Gerson chuckled, “Ha! So you two were those kids! I didn’t think you’d be the royal children.”  
Gerson then raised an eyebrow, “When did you two have another kid? Doesn’t quite look like either of you.”  
Toriel spoke carefully, “Chara is our adopted child. Their parents… well, they turned to dust shortly after entrusting them to our care. Please, we are not ready to introduce them to the public quite yet.”  
Gerson sighed, “That’s sad, but at least the kid’s okay.”  
He turned towards Chara, “I can’t think of any better caretakers. Heck! You’ll have the whole royal guard taking care of you.”  
Chara gave a nervous chuckle, “Indeed.”

Asriel gathered up some flowers, “Here, Chara!”  
Asriel gave some flowers to Chara, which completed a large bouquet. Chara blinked, “This is quite a large bouquet.”  
Asriel nodded as he finished his own large bouquet, “I hope we can save them after we’ve taken the picture!”  
Asgore examined the bouquets, “They are quite lovely.”  
He gently guided Asriel and Chara to the middle of the garden, “Here, this should be wonderful with the sun peeking in.”  
Toriel stood next to Asgore, “I think it is perfect.”

Asriel stood in front of Toriel and Chara in front of Asgore. Gerson readied the camera, “Alright, you all ready?”  
Toriel nodded, “Chara, be sure to show those beautiful eyes,”  
Chara blushed and hid their face into their bouquet as Gerson took the picture. He examined the picture and chuckled, “Wah ha ha, you hid your face!”  
Toriel frowned, “Chara, please. Show your face for this photograph.”  
Chara unveiled their face, “Very well.”  
Gerson readied the camera once again, “Well, good thing you have a few more pieces of photo paper.”  
Asriel giggled at Chara, “You’re silly.”  
Chara smirked and hid their face once again as Gerson took the next picture. Gerson chuckled again, “Okay, now you’re just doing this on purpose.”  
Asriel giggled again while Toriel sighed, “Chara.”  
Asgore examined the second photograph, “I think it looks nice, but I would like to have one with your face, Chara. Would you give us just one?”  
Chara blushed and looked away from Asgore, “Fine.”

Gerson readied the camera once again, “This sounds like the last one.”  
Toriel smiled, “It appears so.”  
Gerson chuckled, “Okay! Then smile, all of you!”  
Chara gave a small smile before the camera flashed. Gerson proudly showed the picture, “There ya go! Third time’s the charm!”  
Toriel received the picture and smiled at it, “It’s wonderful. Thank you for taking the picture for us.”  
Gerson tipped his hat, “No problem at all, I’ll see myself out then.”  
He gave the camera to Asgore, “See ya later, King Fluffybuns.”  
Asgore gave a nervous chuckle while Chara and Asriel giggled. Chara raised a mischievous brow, “They know that nickname?”  
Toriel chuckled, “Well, I did not realize the microphone was still in my hand while I called him that.”  
Asgore smiled, “I am glad they did take to the nickname quite nicely.”  
Toriel held the pictures, “Come, let us frame the final one and used the other ones for the lockets.”


	27. Ensnared in the Web

Over the next few days, Chara learned how to use a knife effectively in combat. Chara had taken to the weapon quickly, and a sheath was made for the real knife. Chara now wore a belt on their jeans, and the sheath attached to their belt tightly. Chara practiced unsheathing the real knife a few times before they nodded, “This will work.”  
Toriel spoke sternly, “You speak as though you are looking for a fight.”  
Chara shook their head before they once again stowed their weapon, “I am not; I was referring to quickly retrieving the knife.”  
Toriel sighed, “Well, if you do decide to leave the house today, please be careful as always. I put pie slices in plastic containers in the fridge just in case.”  
Asriel smiled before hugging Toriel, “You’re the best.”  
Toriel gently petted Asriel’s head, “I love you,”  
She leaned over to pet Chara’s head, but Chara stepped back, their gaze apprehensive. She nodded, “We will get there someday, but I still love you, Chara.”  
Chara blushed lightly before they looked away and mumbled something under their breath. Toriel raised an eyebrow, “What was that?”  
Chara crossed their arms and closed their eyes, “Thank you.”  
Toriel giggled, “If you insist.”  
She walked past the two and walked down the stairs, “Be safe.”  
Asriel waved, “Bye, mom!”

Toriel disappeared down the stairs, which left Asriel and Chara alone. Asriel sighed, “Should we go out?”  
Chara nodded, “I believe I am ready.”  
Asriel frowned nervously, “Okay… I sure hope you are.”  
Asriel headed towards their bedroom, “So, where do you want to go?”  
Chara scratched their chin, “I think I would like to see those lights in Waterfall you told me about.”  
Asriel beamed as he opened the door, “They’re really pretty!”  
He started to gather up some things for their trip, “We’ll need to get off the boat at Snowdin and travel to Waterfall that way.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Why?”  
Asriel frowned, “Cuz… well… there’s not really an easier way from Riverperson’s dock in Waterfall. That area’s much lower than where the lights are.”  
Chara gave a defeated sigh, “Very well, just be sure to pack the scarves.”  
Asriel nodded before he dug into the dresser drawer, “Yup, my rainbow one and your yellow one!”  
Chara nodded, “I will gather the pie.”

The two worked together to pack for their new adventure. Asriel slung the water-protected backpack over his shoulder and smiled proudly, “Ready!”  
The two headed for the Riverperson’s dock, they quickly and sneakily made their way through to the ‘R3’ elevator. Chara’s eyes wandered the entire time. Meanwhile they kept  their right hand close to their hip and their hand open. Asriel giggled once in the elevator, “Hehe, it’s okay, Chara.”  
Chara relaxed, “It is better to expect danger and not be in it than to be in danger and not expect it.”  
Asriel shrugged, “I guess so-“

The elevator suddenly moved. Chara and Asriel blinked at each other. Asriel spoke nervously, “Did you press the button?”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “No.”  
They turned their head towards the elevator buttons. Chara jumped back in surprise; a swarm of spiders were spreading throughout the elevator from the ‘L3’ button, now highlighted. Chara immediately grasped their knife, but did not unsheathe it, and lowered their stance, “It appears Miss Muffet is summoning us.”  
Asriel shivered, “D-do you think she knows-“  
“That we tricked her?” Chara smirked, “I think she knows all too well.”  
Asriel gulped, “What do we do? C-can we still talk to her?”  
Chara kept their eyes on the multitude of spiders in the elevator with them, “If her invitation is this forceful, I doubt it.”

Within seconds, the elevator stopped and opened. The very second the elevator doors opened, webbing shot into the elevator from outside. Chara sidestepped to the wall of the elevator, they avoided most of the webbing. Meanwhile, Asriel cowered and was fully encased by the webs. He struggled and whined, “I can’t move!”  
Chara was about to move until the cocoon of webbing that trapped Asriel suddenly began to move out of the elevator. Asriel called out in fright, “Chara!”  
A feminine laugh echoed from outside the elevator, “Thank you, dearies, you all did a good job!”

Muffet approached Asriel and smiled impishly, “Did you think I wouldn’t find out, you dirty little cheater?”  
Asriel cried out, “I swear! I didn’t realize-“  
Muffet snapped her fingers and webs were shot onto Asriel’s mouth. Asriel whined as he tried to speak, but only muffled noises came through. Muffet spoke harshly, “Save your excuses, they hold no value to me.”  
She then smiled once again while she cradled Asriel’s chin, “There is only one way to settle a life debt, you know.”  
Asriel shook as Muffet drew close to his face, “But the question is how I punish you for tricking me.”  
Tears budded from Asriel’s eyes as she pulled away. Chara then unsheathed their knife and ran into the open. Muffet noticed them and smiled, “Capture the human unharmed, I will be in my parlor deciding what to do with this cheater.”  
Webs shot towards Muffet and Asriel, which yanked them far away from Chara. Chara shouted out, “Asriel!”  
Asriel could only reply with a muffled scream as he disappeared with Muffet.

The instant they disappeared, webs shot out towards Chara in droves. Chara gasped and swiftly ran in the direction Asriel disappeared, all the while they dodged the webs as best they could. Webs stuck to their arms and legs, but Chara swiftly cut through them with their knife. Their gaze became focused, cold, but most of all, determined as they ran down the hall. They began to feel the heat after a minute and saw a glow up ahead. They came to a sudden stop; before them was a large area with many platforms, each equipped with one to four vents. In their hesitation, they felt spider webs claim their left arm. They growled before they slashed it away and jumped into the nearest vent. They were propelled onto the next platform, where they landed safely. They did not have time to think as more webs shot out at them, more than before. Chara took the vent to their left and landed onto webbing. They panicked at the sticky surface before webs shot onto them from all directions. They desperately tried to cut the webs, but within seconds found themselves locked in a thick cocoon, barely able to move. They felt themselves move after a few moments but continued to try to free themselves.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Asriel tried to scream and wriggle free of the cocoon as Muffet carried his cocoon to her parlor. She giggled as her eyes took in the place, “Now, let’s see; how should I punish you?”  
While turned away, she ripped the webs from Asriel’s mouth. He gasped for air and coughed for a few seconds before he pleaded, “Please, I didn’t know that was why they saved me.”  
Muffet crooked two of her eyebrows before she turned back towards Asriel, “So you do remember how you cheated me. Good; you will be able to think on that during your final moments.”  
Asriel shook, his voice quivered, “Y-you’re really gonna kill me?”   
Muffet beamed, “Of course, dearie. A life for a life.”  
She licked her lips, “And a tasty morsel included.”  
Asriel cried out, “Don’t hurt them!”  
“Why not? Do you think you can claim them in the state you are in?” She turned away, “Besides, you won’t have to worry about them for much longer.”

She then clapped two of her hands together, “Ah, I’ve got it! The perfect punishment!”  
Muffet pushed Asriel’s cocoon towards a large machine. Asriel’s eyes widened in realization of what this was; a large, industrial-sized oven, “Please…”  
Muffet smirked, “Plead as much as you want, it won’t matter. I’ll sprinkle your dust onto my donuts.”  
Muffet opened the large door and sighed, “Not pre-heated. Oh well, it will only add a few minutes.”  
Muffet quickly took out many of the shelves within the oven; she left only one and put a large metal tub onto it. She hummed to herself as she approached Asriel once again and slowly dragged him towards the now open, pre-heating oven. He whimpered and cried, he begged once more, “Please, I’ll get mom and dad to give you as much gold as you want, please…”  
Muffet lifted his cocoon into the oven and into the metal tub, “Too late for that, dearie. I’m only interested in whether your dust will add anything to my donuts.”  
Her eyes widened before she dawned a wicked smile, “Maybe I’ll sprinkle it onto the cupcakes I will use the human for.”  
She licked her lips once again, “My mouth is watering just thinking about it.”  
Asriel began to sob, no begging, no pleading, only tears before Muffet smirked, “Goodbye, dearie.”

She closed the oven and locked it before she turned the oven light on, “There, I wonder how long this one will last before he turns to dust.”  
She turned and looked towards many of the spiders in her parlor, “Any bets? Ten minutes? Twenty? Five?”  
A glimpse of white graced her peripheral vision; she turned towards it and smiled, “The human! Good job my dearies.”  
She dashed to the cocoon and light caressed it. She felt her mouth water before she spoke, “You didn’t hurt them, correct? We will need all the blood and innards this human has to offer for our pastries!”  
She then snapped her fingers, “Carefully now, just their head will do.”

A swarm of spiders descended upon the cocoon. Strings of web were cast aside, their concentration on the top of the cocoon. A few seconds passed before strange sounds came from the cocoon. Muffet raised a few of her eyebrows, “Do you hear something?”  
She leaned in closer to the cocoon and hushed the busy spiders before she put an ear to the cocoon. A second passed. Another. And other. She gasped and jumped away from the cocoon. Within that second, a large slash broke the cocoon open from the inside. Chara quickly jumped outside and ran towards Muffet with their knife in hand. She dodged to the left and called to her spiders, “Block the exits! Web the floors! The human must not escape!”

Her spiders complied as she continued to dodge Chara’s swings. She smirked after dodging another swing and moved forward with her fangs bared. Chara gasped and jumped to the side, they took on a defensive stance and spoke darkly, “Where is he?”  
Muffet stopped, she crossed two pairs of arms and put one of her remaining arms to her chin, “You mean the little cheater?”  
She pointed upwards with her remaining arm, “Don’t worry, you’ll join him soon.”  
Muffet charged, “Just stand still, dearie!”  
Chara frowned and dodged to the side before they slashed at Muffet’s back. She cried out in shock, the wound was not deep. She reached back with one arm and growled, “You…”  
She turned back, she shook and gritted her teeth before she roared, “YOU RUINED MY FAVORITE OUTFIT!”  
Chara hesitated at the sight of Muffet’s newfound rage, they stepped back and widened their eyes. Muffet growled and charged at them, her hands sprung claws and her fangs dripped with familiar venom. Chara let out a small scream before they were forced to continuously dodge Muffet’s relentless attacks. She growled, “You should have held still, it would have been easy for you.”  
Her voice started to distort, “Now I will make you pay!”

Muffet’s form grew slowly, and her skin slowly shifted from lavender to a light violet. Her eyes, once a full black, became bloodshot, which slowly grew closer to the center of her eyes. Holes formed in her hands, which she used to spray spider webs towards Chara. One held their left leg and caused Chara to trip and fall onto the floor. Muffet lunged towards them, but Chara swung their knife in panic and pierced her lower left hand. She screamed, her voice still distorted, and held her damaged hand. Chara quickly cut themselves out of the web and ran. Chara looked around briefly and spotted a spiral staircase of webs, one that lead towards the platform that housed the oven Asriel was trapped inside. They ran towards it, but spider webs flew from different directions towards them. Muffet called out, “No! The human is mine! Do not interfere!”  
Chara used the distraction to quickly run onto the stairs. They found it very sturdy, but slightly sticky against their shoes nonetheless. They ran as quickly as they could, but only saw Muffet call down below the stairs, “Get them, my pet!”  
A rumbling came from below. Chara stopped and looked down with a raised eyebrow. From the webs below came a creature that was a fusion of a muffin and a spider, just large enough to swallow them whole in a few gulps. Chara reeled back at the sight and ran up the stairs as it screeched and chased after them. Chara reached the top of the stairs before the muffin-spider jumped at them and knocked them to the web-covered platform. They accidentally let go of their knife, sending it a few feet away from them. They gasped and attempted to crawl toward their knife; they edged closer and closer to it, until they heard the muffin-spider chitter above them. They turned their head slightly and widened their eyes. The creature’s maw was close to their body, drool dripped from their form onto Chara’s back. Chara shook but continued to reach for the knife. Once very close, webs covered their hand, much to Chara’s visible shock. They began to shake as Muffet’s distorted laugher came closer towards them, “Very good, my pet.”  
Muffet slowly shrunk back down; she turned back to normal. Beads of sweat flowed down her face and she panted before she gave a deep sigh, “Did… did you think you could escape with the cheater? Is that why you ran up here?”  
Muffet looked up at her pet, her composure regained, “I’ll give you a nice treat later.”  
The muffin-spider beamed before they returned to below the platforms. Muffet leaned down towards Chara, “I was going to be nice and kill you before I start preparing my cupcakes, but you almost caused me to lose control of myself.”  
She flashed her fangs and cradled Chara’s head, “You will feel all the pain, but won’t be able to do a thing. Just like the cheater.”

Chara roared and raised their captured hand; the webs fell away and revealed they had a grip on their knife. Chara slash at Muffet, their knife landed square on Muffet’s left shoulder. She screamed and reeled back as Chara charged towards them, their eyes desperate and crazed. Each step drew them closer to the oven until Muffet tripped and landed on her back. Chara quickly put the knife to her neck and breathed heavily. The two stayed there for a few seconds, each attempting to catch their breath. Muffet breathed sharply before Chara sunk the blade slightly into her neck. They spoke quietly, but their voice was full of venom, “Do not move, do not speak, or I will sink this blade into your neck.”  
Muffet quivered lightly before Chara continued, their face serious, “I will remove my blade from your neck. You will let Asriel and I leave with no interference. You will forget any debt either of us owes you. Finally, you, nor your spiders, will never bother us ever again.”  
They gave a creepy grin and widened their eyes, “O R I W I L L K I L L Y O U.”

Muffet cowered slightly before Chara smirked, “Remember, there is no second redemption of this service. Understood?”  
Muffet silently and carefully nodded. Chara frowned, “Good.”  
They removed their knife from Muffet’s neck before they rushed to the oven. They quickly opened it; a wave of heat washed over Chara’s form, the noticed the oven had finished preheating. Asriel violently coughed and gasped in response to the cool air of the outside world. Beads of sweat wet his fur, or what could be seen through his cocoon. He spoke, his voice horse, “Chara…”  
Chara went to grab the metal tub but flinched at the heat of the metal. They hissed and turned towards Muffet, “Free him. Now.”  
Muffet stood and nodded, “You heard them, dearies.”  
Muffet snapped her fingers and a swarm of spiders worked together to free Asriel from the oven and the cocoon of webs. Asriel fell into Chara’s arms as he panted, “Thank you, Chara.”  
Muffet crossed her arms and cleared her throat, “Leave, before I change my mind.”  
Chara smirked and lowered their voice, “And throw your life away? I did not think any entrepreneur would value their life so little.”  
They pointed their knife towards her, “But I will gladly take it if that is what you wish.”  
Muffet growled and pointed in a new direction, “Take the platform in that direction, you’ll be at the top of Hotland. Leave. Now.”  
Chara kept a firm grip on Asriel’s hand with their left hand and their knife with their right, “Gladly. Goodbye forever, Miss Muffet.”  
Muffet hissed at them as they descended the stairs and left her domain.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two continued to walk through the Hotland platforms in silence, hand in hand until the entrance to Miss Muffet’s domain was no longer visible. Once out of sight, Chara finally stowed their knife and Asriel collapsed onto his knees. He whimpered, “I thought… I thought we were goners.”  
Chara rubbed his back, “If I had not learned how to use my knife this past week, we would have been.”  
Asriel pulled Chara into a tight hug and sobbed, “Thank you, Chara.”  
Asriel shook as he sobbed. Chara sighed and accepted the hug, they petted Asriel’s head, “This is the one time I will not tease you for being a crybaby.”  
Asriel nodded against Chara’s shoulder, “You can cry too.”  
Chara shook their head lightly, “I will be fine.”

Asriel pulled away before he took a towel out of the backpack and wiped his head of the sweat. He sighed, “Should we go back home? I don’t know if I can take another attack like that.”  
Chara mused, “But you told me the lights were worth the trip, plus I am sure Snowdin will help you cool down.”  
Asriel frowned, “Yeah, you’re right. Okay, let’s go find the elevator and get to Riverperson.”  
Chara stood Asriel up and the two walked to the R3 elevator, this time ensuring that they pressed “L1”. The two walked carefully before they came into view of the lab. Chara instinctually tugged Asriel and the two ran to the stairs. They stopped at the stairs and gave a deep sigh of relief. Before they could move, they heard a strange noise behind them and a familiar voice, “We need to talk.”  
They felt their shoulder’s grasped, and before they could gasp or turn, they disappeared.


	28. His Perspective

Within a blink of an eye, Asriel and Chara found themselves in a new area. It was a decent sized room, linoleum tiles on the floor and yellow-beige colored walls. In the center of the room was an island-table equipped with safety restraints and many drawers.

Asriel and Chara quickly turned around to see Gaster behind them. Chara lightly jumped back and drew their knife, ready to strike. Gaster frowned before his eyes started to glow, his blue brighter than his orange. Chara’s eyes widened as they realized they couldn’t move. Asriel shook as he stepped backward towards the table; tears silently fell from his eyes. Gaster spoke plainly, “There is no need for that.”  
Two hand clones appeared and took the knife from Chara’s hand, Gaster continued with a small smirk, “I see you are learning to defend yourself, no matter. I will keep this until our conversation is over.”  
The hand clones floated over to Gaster, wherein he took the knife and stashed it carefully in his overcoat. His eyes ended their glow and Chara found themselves free to move once again. Chara immediately looked around the room and saw a door on the other side of the island and dashed towards it. They turned the knob but found it locked. Gaster frown and spoke in an unamused tone, “You are wasting your time, I’ve locked this room far before I brought you two here.”  
Asriel gulped, closed in on himself, and spoke quietly, “W-what are you going to do to us?”  
Gaster eyed Asriel, “I only wish to talk. Something your parents have adamantly refused to do.”  
Gaster turned and approached the desk build into the wall in the corner of the room, “I hope their little investigation was insightful for them, perhaps with their help I will finally have the quality metal to protect my workers from falling headfirst into the Core.”

He opened a drawer and grabbed a small object. He hid it in his coat pockets, “But I digress. I brought you two here to talk about you.”  
Gaster eyed Chara, who was still at the door, but they fully kept their gazed locked on Gaster. Their eyes met, Chara’s gaze cold, but Gaster’s calm and calculated. Gaster stepped towards them, but with each step, Chara stepped to the side. Gaster stopped his approach. He rolled his eyes and begun to chastise, “Honestly, _child_ , if I wanted you dead, I could have killed you fifty times in this encounter alone. That is not a threat, that is a _fact_. So I suggest you relax before you hurt yourself, there is a lot of dangerous equipment in the direction you are headed.”  
Chara quickly gazed towards the direction they were headed and saw several large machines, most of them covered with a cloth, but many housing seemingly unsafe objects. Chara groaned, but only relaxed slightly. They kept their tone civil, but blunt, “What do you want?”  
Gaster smirked and held his hands behind his back, “I want all sentient beings want; I want to live”  
He frowns, his expression and tone slowly became more angered as he continued, “More importantly, I want my people to live. Unfortunately, that is impossible with all of monsterkind sealed away from their food source under this accursed mountain.”

He cleared his throat, now calmed, he then smirked at Chara, “That is, until you had the misfortune of falling down here.”  
Chara glared at Gaster, “You know nothing of me.”  
“I know what I want to know, what brought you here matters little to me. What matters is what you could do for monsterkind, for those you perhaps call… _family_.”  
Gaster motioned lightly towards Asriel, “Our young prince here has never had any human flesh, neither during his time within his mother’s womb nor during his life. The fact he has survived this long is nothing short of a miracle of his biology.”  
Gaster returned his hand behind his back and frowned, “But he is the lucky one. Every single monster in this prison is starving, and some have finally begun to die due to this. Many no longer possess the strength to leave their homes. Worse yet, there are reports coming in of some monsters no longer able to produce offspring, whether through magic or physical birth. We are dying down here, and the only thing that could stop each and every one of us from turning to dust.”  
He pointed towards Chara, “ _Is you_. But due to the selfishness of the king and queen, I cannot even take a single drop of your blood from your body without their retaliation.”  
He reached into his pocket and held a small object, “That is, until a certain event eleven days ago.”

Gaster revealed the small object; a small, prescription sized, glass bottle with one crimson red pill. The pill filled most of the bottle, until Gaster uncorked it and gently held it with his thumb and index finger bone. Gaster spoke calmly as he clearly showed the pill to Asriel and Chara, “Have you any idea what this could be?”  
Asriel perked up and sniffed, “Wh-what’s that smell?”  
Gaster held the pill closer to Asriel, “This, of course.”  
Asriel stepped forward nervously and took a whiff of the pill. He gasped and stepped back a few paces, his hands covered his mouth and nose. He shook, “Th-that’s…Chara!”  
Chara widened their eyes as Gaster smirked and continued, “I am glad you can at least recognize the scent.”  
Gaster turned towards Chara, “This, is the future of monsterkind; a substitute that I have created from mere droplets of your blood. I truly must thank that moldbygg for this opportunity; and you, for providing it, of course.”  
Chara gritted their teeth and walked over to Asriel. Asriel violently shook his head and cried, “No!”  
He ran a few paces away from Chara and curled into a ball on the floor, against a wall, “Please… I don’t… I don’t want to hurt you.”  
Gaster slowly approached Asriel, “Then this would be the perfect solution, Prince Dreemurr. You would finally have the nutrition you need, and it would not hurt them.”  
Chara spoke darkly, “Except for the part where you use me to manufacture it.”  
Gaster stopped and glared at Chara, “And yet this is proof that all I would need is your blood.”

Asriel shook his head, “No! I’m never going to eat Chara! Never again!”  
Gaster raised an eyebrow, “Again?”  
He narrowed his eyes and began to chuckle, “I see now; you had a taste during that encounter. How fortunate, you may finally be able to embrace what you truly are.”

Asriel quivered and shook, but Chara glared at Gaster, “Stop it, put that away.”  
Gaster put the substitute pill in the bottle and corked it, “This won’t stop his instincts. He’s already had a taste, and he knows his body craves it. Or at least it will.”  
Chara stepped forward and spoke with venom, “Stop it, now.”  
Gaster sighed, “Perhaps I have overstepped my point, but before you go I have one request.”  
Gaster grabbed a few papers from the desk, “This is a translated version of the proposal I gave to the king and queen concerning you. I realize now that the source of this struggle was the fact the king is only mildly versed in my original language.”  
He held the papers in front of Chara, “Take this to them and tell them to contact me only after they have read the proposal in full. Understood?”  
Chara paused, but soon aggressively tore the papers from Gaster’s hand, “Fine. Give me back my knife.”  
Gaster removed the knife from his overcoat, “Only if you sheath it immediately.”  
Chara hesitated, but quickly grasped their knife and sheathed it. Gaster gave a genuine, small smile, “Now, where were you two headed? Perhaps I could expedite your journey.”  
Chara and Asriel shared a gaze, Asriel nervous, while Chara untrusting. Asriel spoke, seemingly recovered from eariler, “I… I was going to show them…. The lights in Waterfall, and… the echo flowers.”  
Gaster approached the two, “I see, Waterfall’s higher level. Stand still and I can take you there.”  
Chara scowled and crossed their arms, “We were fine taking Riverperson’s boat.”  
Gaster stopped, “Back to Hotland then? It would be a shame to waste this opportunity to go where you want in the Underground instantly. I have to teleport you out of this room regardless of where you choose to go after.”  
Chara’s left eye twitched before they gave a mild noise of frustration, “Fine; the flowers then.”  
Gaster lightly grasped Asriel’s and Chara’s shoulder, “I do have one bit of advice for Waterfall. If you wish to survive and not allow monsters to know of your existence, stay out of the water.”

In an instant, the three vanished from Gaster’s lab and reappeared in Waterfall. Blue, glowing flowers surrounded them; they gave off a soft light and soft whispers. Gaster disappeared without a word, but Chara stood on guard for a few seconds. They had to be sure. Asriel sighed and breathed deeply, “That was scary, that thing he showed us… I…”  
Chara frowned, “We don’t have to worry about that now.”  
Asriel frowned and grasped one of his arms, “Chara, I don’t want to eat you, any of you. Even if it’s just your blood, it’s still you!”

Chara handed the papers Gaster gave to them, “Put them in the backpack. I somehow think he will know if we do not deliver this.”  
Asriel nodded and did so as Chara turned their gaze to the flowers around them, “Why did you want to show me these flowers.”  
Asriel spoke quietly, “Listen to them lean your ear close.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow before they leaned towards one of the nearer flowers. They blinked when they heard it; another voice echoed from the flower, “What is this?”  
In a few seconds, the flower they were near echoed their words back at them. Asriel smiled, “They’re called echo flowers because they echo your words back.”  
Chara leaned away from the flowers, “How do they do that? Can they echo after they are picked?”  
Asriel shrugged and kneeled down by the water, “I don’t think they can echo after they’re picked, and no one really knows why they echo.”  
Asriel dipped his hands into the water and splashed his face. He shook his fur, which caused his hair to puff up. He wiped down his fur and stood, “Anyway, c’mon, we’re really close to the lights…. And then…. Since we’re here I think I want to show you something else.”  
Asriel started to walk, Chara followed, “Show me what?”  
Asriel giggled, “It’s a secret.”  
Chara rolled their eyes and crossed their arms, “Very well.”

Asriel and Chara crossed a few bridges before they came to familiar tunnels, Asriel beamed, “We’re here! Look up!”  
Chara slowly turned their head upwards and removed their hat. They dropped their hat as they stood there in awe at the glow above them. Chara smiled, “It is extremely close to what the stars look like.”  
Asriel smiled, “Mom told me the same thing, what’s missing?”  
Chara mused, “I think… shooting stars are missing.”  
“Shooting stars?”  
Chara pointed up, “It’s when a star flies across the sky. People say if you wish on them, your wish will come true.”  
Asriel returned his eyes above, “Wow… I wish I could wish on one.”  
Chara giggled, “You would wish for a wish?”  
Asriel puffed his cheeks, “You know what I meant.”

The two stood there for a few moments before they heard steps and voices from the other side of the tunnel. Asriel whispered, “Other monsters! We gotta go!”  
Chara nodded as they went to pick up their hat without their gaze. They reached and reached before they raised a brow. They turned their gaze towards to find their hat no longer there. Chara looked around, and Asriel raised a brow but still kept their voice low, “What’s wrong?”  
Chara whispered, “My hat.”

The two then quickly looked around them before Asriel pointed to the side, “Look! In the water!”  
Chara turned to see their hat float slowly through the water just under the surface. Chara ran parallel to the stream that held their hat, Asriel chased behind them. Chara caught up to the hat and stood against the edge of the water, “I’ll just get it.”  
Asriel grabbed Chara’s arm, “Wait! Mr. Gaster said not to go in the water!”  
Chara tore their arm away from Asriel and raised a brow, “And you believe what he says?”  
Asriel twirled his thumbs, “Well… I mean, a lot of the monsters in Waterfall live under the water… so…”  
Chara rolled their eyes, “I will be there for a few seconds, it will be fine.”  
Asriel nervously watched as Chara jumped into the water. They waded and grabbed their hat before they waded back to the shore. Chara rung out their hat and looked over at Asriel, “Can I have my towel?”  
Asriel silently removed a second towel from the backpack and handed it to Chara. They nervously eyed the water behind Chara as they dried their pants, shoes, and socks. No movement other than the water itself. Chara finished and sighed, “Next time, I will ensure I take my socks off.”  
Asriel gave a nervous laugh, “Yeah, um… let’s go. We’re um… actually headed in the direction of the surprise.”  
Chara folded their socks and hat into the towel and gave it back to Asriel, “How convenient.”  
Asriel quickly stuffed the towel back into the backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

They slowly walked through Waterfall, Asriel kept his eyes towards the water, only occasionally he saw where he was headed. Before long, Chara noticed another plaque on the wall, “Hmm?”  
They read it, “The power to take their souls. This is the power that the humans feared.”  
Asriel spoke, “More of the plaques about our history.”  
Chara smirked, “And this time it has a double meaning. You can absorb souls or devour them.”  
Asriel made a nervous sound, “Can we keep moving? I… I don’t want to think about that.”  
Chara raised a brow, “Are you tempted?”  
Asriel violently shook his head, “No! Never! I…”  
He paused, and frowned, “I think mom said that… that it would kill you.”  
Chara frowned, they put a hand to their chest, “That… would make sense. She said the soul is one’s entire being. Without it we are nothing but flesh and dust.”  
“Y-yeah…”  
The two continued onwards, they very quickly entered a room with a narrow pathway surrounded by water. Asriel nervously darted his eyes, “Um… let’s get through this place quickly.”  
Chara rolled their eyes and began to walk ahead of Asriel, “We will be fine.”  
Asriel gave out a small whine before he slowly trailed behind Chara. All that could be heard was the water flows and the steps the two of them took. Each step further into the narrow path made Asriel nervous. He soon yelped. Chara grasped their knife and turned towards him, they hissed, “What?”  
Asriel quivered and pointed towards the water, “I-I-I saw something move! In the water!”  
Chara turned their gaze downwards towards the water. Seconds passed before they relaxed and turned back to Asriel, “There is nothing there.”  
Asriel puffed his cheeks and crossed his arms, “I saw something.”  
Chara rolled their eyes as they turned to continue onwards. Asriel whined, “I’m serious! We gotta get out of here fast!”  
Chara stopped and turned, “Asriel, we are…”  
Chara’s casual frown turned more serious and they immediately drew their knife. Asriel at first raised an eyebrow before he tensed up. He turned to see a large tentacle protruding from the water behind him.


	29. Spent Chances

Asriel shook as he saw the crimson red tentacle protrude from the water. It immediately crashed onto the path behind them; it covered most of the path and began to move from side-to-side. Chara went to move towards the tentacle with their knife poised for attack. Asriel stopped them and shook his head, “No! I don’t think it knows where we are.”  
The tentacle then lifted then started to move towards the two. Chara spoke, “It can hear us. Duck!”  
The two ducked quickly before the tentacle passed over them. Water dripped onto them as the two could see the large white suckers on the underside of the tentacle. Chara and Asriel rose up after the tentacle passed and returned to the water. Asriel started to push Chara, “C’mon! Let’s get out of here!”

Two more tentacles shot out from the water, each landed on either side of Asriel and Chara with a loud crash. Chara lowered their stance and held their knife tightly. They then swung their knife downwards at one of the tentacles that blocked their path. A screech came from the water as the tentacle cowered back under the water. The other flew towards Asriel and Chara. Chara and Asriel ran from the tentacle before another blocked their path. Asriel whimpered before he spoke, “We’re trapped!”  
Chara turned to see the tentacle reach Asriel, only a foot or so in front of them. The tentacle swiftly wrapped around Asriel, who gasped and wriggled. Chara swung their knife again at the tentacle. Another cry sounded from the water and tentacles thrashed around, including the one that tightly clung to Asriel. Asriel screamed as the tentacle whipped him around the cavern. Chara cried out Asriel’s name as they ran to dodge the tentacles as they thrashed about the water and the platform. As they dodged one last time, they slashed a tentacle that nearly crushed them. A cry sounded from the water and two tentacles rushed towards Chara. Chara gasped as they tried to jump out of the way, but one managed to grasp them by their leg. They let out a cry of shock as they were lifted into the air but still kept a firm grasp on their knife. Chara looked around in desperation to see Asriel firmly wrapped in a tentacle, while they hung from one by their leg. They felt their locket barely stay on their neck, slowly dropping from their hair. They panicked as they felt their locket leave their head, but before they could grasp it, it fell into the water below.

It was then that they saw water rushing below them, a body rose to the surface of the water. The body was red, the same as the tentacles. It was a large body, despite only the top protruding from the water. Said top was filled with rows upon rows of teeth, each circular row descended into an open maw. A glimmer could be seen on a tooth closer to the exposed gullet, Chara widened their eyes as they realized it was their locket. Several eyes could barely be seen on the sides of the creature, all but one focused on Chara. The final one focused on Asriel. The tentacle uncurled from him before it threw him across the room and into the water. They surfaced from the water within a few seconds with a gasp for air. Chara searched for any way out of this situation as the final eye focused on them. They rocked themselves back and forth before the tentacle finally dropped them. They panicked as they saw them still drop towards the breast’s wide maw. They took their knife and drove it into the beast near the top of its maw, their descent prevented. The creature screamed. Chara could feel the beast rock and flail about. They barely heard Asriel cry out Chara’s name. Asriel quickly swam to the shore and attempted to summon their flames. They felt them, but they were weak and flickered. Asriel still lobbed them at the creature, which continued to flail. All the eyes then focused on Asriel. Asriel noticed this and shook, “Uh oh.”

Tentacles whipped towards him, he screamed before he ran away from them. Each crashed onto the platform as he ran to avoid them, back and forth. Chara’s eyes widened as they heard Asriel’s screams, they could only imagine what was going on. They turned their gaze towards the creature’s gullet; they saw their locket mere feet from it, locked onto a tooth. They gritted their teeth before they moved down, they used the teeth as step stone, careful to not puncture their skin. They removed the knife from the creature and stabbed further down. This time, the creature responded with a growl rather than a cry. Chara felt a quick breeze above them; when they turned their head upwards, they saw one of the monster’s tentacles come for them. They gasped and leaned into the monster’s flesh, while careful of the teeth. They also kept a tight grip on their knife. The tentacle attempted to tear them away from the flesh of the maw but found itself cut on its own teeth. Chara leaned heavily against the flesh as the tentacle attempted to find ways around the teeth. They looked up to see more tentacles come for them. They cried out, “Asriel! Help!”  
Asriel threw more and more fireballs, just as Chara cried out for help. He aimed for the tentacles; they each only hesitated for a second after hit with fire. Asriel noticed this and started to weep, “It’s not working!”  
He sniffled and held weak flames in his hands, “We… we can’t beat this…. We…”  
He cried out, the flames dissipated, “Someone! Anyone! Please! Help us!”  
Asriel’s voice echoed through the cavern for a few seconds, but nobody came. Asriel cried out and continued to lob fire at the tentacles for a few seconds. He then kneeled down, his breath heavy and his sight blurry. He shook his head, “No… not now… please…”  
Chara felt their tears start the well as one of the tentacles grasped onto them. It was only by the leg, but they knew it was enough to rip them away. They were lifted up, along with their knife and hung slowly over the now open gullet. The tentacle let go, and Chara screamed before they closed their eyes.

Silence. Only the sounds of movement and darkness, but Chara was confused. No wetness? No tightness? No shortage of air? They felt movement, but to the side. They hesitated to open their eyes. When they did, they saw themselves float away from the creature’s maw on some invisible platform. Asriel gasped, “Chara?! How are you doing that?!”  
Chara looked back to see Asriel run adjacent to them on the ground. The two heard the creature shout out in rage and sent multiple tentacles out towards Chara. Chara gasped and held their knife in defense, that is until all of them seemed to stop in mid-air. The tips struggled to move towards Chara before the creature shouted out in anger as Chara appeared to float away from them. Chara widened their eyes, “Wait…”  
They turned their gaze behind them to see a figure near a different entrance to the room from which they entered. This figure was not on land, but on the water, on a boat. Asriel and Chara exclaimed at the same time, “Riverperson!”  
Chara soon was set down gently on the ground next to Riverperson’s boat. They blinked and spoke in a confused tone, “Forgive me, but… I do not understand; how did you get here?”  
Riverperson chuckled with mirth, “As long as there is water, I can travel with ease.”  
Asriel huffed as he tried to run up to Chara. He spoke, winded, “Chara… th-thank…. Goodness….”  
He nearly fell down a few feet away from Chara, he landed on his knees and hands. Chara ran up to him to help him up, “Are you alright, Asriel?”  
Asriel chuckled weakly, kneeled down on one knee, “Just… tired…”  
Riverperson pulled their boat next to them, “Tra la la, please stay here; you will be safe from this monster.”  
Riverperson’s boat continued to move past them, but Chara called out, “Please! Wait!”  
Riverperson’s boat stopped, and they turned their hood towards Chara, “Yes, Chara?”  
Chara gave a small smile as they stowed their knife, “Thank you, Riverperson.”  
Riverperson nodded, “You are welcome.”  
Riverperson turned back, but Chara spoke again, “May I ask one thing? My locket is stuck inside that creature’s maw, on a tooth near its throat. Would you please retrieve it?”  
Riverperson nodded, “Of course, you were very polite with your request, after all.”  
Riverperson slowly sailed towards the angered creature. Asriel mused weakly, “Can… can they even eat a monster that big?”  
Chara frowned, “We shall see.”

In an instant, the restrained tentacles were ripped from the monster’s body. The creature cried in pain as the flesh torn away dispersed into dust. More and more were ripped off until only the body remained. The creature whimpered and tried to move to little avail as they felt their own body grasped. They then saw a small, shiny object leave their maw and soon float next to a small figure on the water. The creature growled and used its body to lunge at Riverperson. Riverperson did not move, but strangely, once the creature reached the edge of the boat, they did not move either. Riverperson chuckled, “So eager to march towards death. I W I L L G R A N T Y O U R D E S I R E.”  
The monster appeared to move slightly before they slumped into the water and dispersed into dust. Over the water, Chara and Asriel could barely see a large, translucent arm, now only seen because of the dust. The arm slowly disappeared into Riverperson’s cloak. Their boat turned back towards Asriel and Chara and docked beside them. Chara’s locket floated in front of them, Riverperson spoke calmly, “Tra la la, the one chance is spent.”  
Chara nodded as they gently retrieved their locket, “Thank you, Riverperson.”  
Riverperson turned their hood towards Asriel, still kneeled on the floor, “It would be best to eat soon, Little Asriel, lest you eat your best friend.”  
Asriel nodded, “Y-yeah…”  
Chara stepped back from Asriel, “Are you?-“  
Asriel was quick to speak, “I’m trying not to.”  
He quickly dug into the backpack, “I… I’ll be fine… once I have the snail pie. I promise.”

He opened the container and did not use the fork, he used his hands and dug into the pie ravenously. The slice was gone in less than a minute, not one crumb remained in the container. He breathed heavily before he sighed, “There… I should be okay.”  
Chara frowned, “I… I hope so.”  
Asriel packed the container away and stood, “Well, we still have some way to go.”  
Riverperson spoke kindly, “Tra la la, where do you two wish to go?”  
Asriel fiddled nervously before he silently beckoned Riverperson with a claw. Riverperson leaned down towards Asriel; he then whispered something to Riverperson. Riverperson nodded, “I can take you two there.”  
Asriel blinked, “Really!? You could do that?!”  
Riverperson stood tall, “I already mentioned this to Chara; as long as there is water, I can travel with ease.”

Asriel carefully stepped onto Riverperson’s boat before they extended a hand to Chara, “C’mon!”  
Chara hesitated, “Are you sure you are fine now?”  
Asriel nodded and made the ‘X’ motion over his chest, “I promise.”  
Chara sighed before they stepped onto the boat in silence. Riverperson turned forward before the boat began to move. Asriel perked up, “So, how quick will this trip be?”  
Riverperson spoke simply, “Very.”  
Asriel nodded before they turned back to Chara, “Okay. Chara, close your eyes.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow before Asriel grasped his hands together, “Please?”  
Chara rolled their eyes before they closed them; they could hear Asriel giggle, “Thanks, Chara. Don’t open them until I say so, okay?”  
Chara crossed their arms and spoke with a slight singsong, “I won’t~”  
Asriel giggled before he suddenly gasped, “Wow! That was fast!”  
Chara nearly opened their eyes, “Hmm?”  
Asriel panicked, “No! Not yet, Chara!”  
Chara chuckled dryly, “Sorry.”  
“It’s okay.”  
Chara heard Asriel speak towards Riverperson, “Can we go over there? And turn towards that?”  
They heard a noise of confirmation, “What a lovely idea.”  
After a minute, Chara felt the boat come to a gentle halt. Asriel turned them slightly before he spoke, his voice in Chara’s left ear, “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

Chara opened their eyes; they adjusted quickly to the new darkness. They widened their eyes and gasped at the sight before them. A vast, underground lake. Stones above them glowed, reflections danced upon the lake’s surface as the water gently wavered around them. Yet, it was nothing compared to the sight in the far distance, far beyond the edge of the lake. A castle and castle-town was in the distance, two tall towers hugged the main building with a large tower taller than the others. Chara gasped lightly, “That is… New Home.”  
Asriel nodded, “Yep. This is the best view of New Home, and the castle. The lake makes it really pretty too.”  
Chara gave a small smile, “Yes, but I think I prefer the barrier.”  
Asriel snorted, “Yeah, so do I…”  
Chara turned towards Asriel, “This was a nice surprise.”  
Asriel frowned and twiddled his thumbs, “I… I don’t know if it was worth going through all of what happened today.”  
Chara frowned, “Perhaps not, but we survived.”  
Asriel looked up at Riverperson, “I… I don’t think I could thank you enough for saving us…”  
He held his right arm, “Even if it was the last time.”  
Riverperson spoke solemnly, “Even with much more skill, that would be a tough monster for you two to face. I am glad I was able to hear your call.”  
Asriel blushed and gasped, “Oh no, did all of Waterfall hear me?!”  
Riverperson chuckled, “No, but I felt the cry of your soul. I felt it earlier today as well, but it was in a place I could not reach.”  
Chara nodded, “We had an encounter with Miss Muffet.”  
Riverperson crooked their head, “The spider? I see. I am glad you survived against her as well. You must have trained well.”  
Chara frowned, “And yet-“  
“Stop.”  
Chara quickly turned their gaze towards Riverperson, a slight shock visible before Riverperson continued, “There was only so much you could do. Even the most skilled fighters have beings or types of magic that counters all they have learned.”  
Asriel treaded his words carefully, “Even… you?”  
Riverperson nodded, “Even I.”

Chara nodded, “I understand, thank you.”  
Chara sighed before they stretched, “Asriel, I believe we should go home now.”  
Asriel nodded, “Yeah, I think I’ll need a long nap.”  
He yawned, “And you can finally finish that sweater for dad.”  
Chara blushed, “Y-yes…”  
Riverperson turned forward, “Tra la la, back to Hotland, then?”  
Asriel nodded, “Yes, please!”

—————————————————————————————

Asriel and Chara found their way home with ease; no interruptions and no detours. Asriel groaned as he entered into the home, “I… I think I’m going straight to bed…”  
Chara nodded, “That would be for the best unless you want to bite me.”  
Asriel huffed, “I’m not gonna bite you.”  
Asriel removed the backpack from his back and stomped into their room, “Goodnight!”

The door slammed, Chara giggled at Asriel’s display before they sighed. They opened the backpack to retrieve their own piece of pie, but still on top of all of the backpack’s items was the stack of papers Gaster had given to them. They narrowed their eyes at it as they slowly removed the stack from the backpack. They walked it over to the table and put it in front of Asgore’s chair. They then removed their slice of pie from the backpack and slowly began to eat it while at the table. Their eyes constantly darted towards the papers, but Chara turned away to ignore it. Yet, each minute, they still found their gaze drawn to the papers. After they finished the pie, they groaned and grumbled, “Might as well.”  
They leaned over the table and retrieved the stack of papers and held it in front of them before they placed it on the table. They slowly glanced over the first page, which was a letter addressed to Asgore:

My king,  
It has taken me far too long to realize that we only clash due to my original language. Attached to this is not only a translated version of my original proposal, but a sheet containing more advanced information about my language. I give this in hopes that this sort of miscommunication does not happen again, as communication between the Royal Scientist and the King of All Monsters is vital to our survival as a species.  
I will always be of service to monsterkind.  
Dr. W. D. Gaster

Chara rolled their eyes at the letter before they flipped the page to see small lessons about the mysterious language of symbols. They raised their eyebrow at the top, “A lesson in Hands?”  
They stifled a chuckle, “The language is called ‘Hands’?”  
They skipped over the lesson to see the proposal, fully translated. They read as far as Asgore did before they rolled their eyes and restored the stack of papers to its original order. They mumbled, “Now, where did I put that sweater?”


	30. Adjustment

A deep, weary sigh eventually echoed from the staircase. Chara gasped slightly before they quickly hid their nearly finished project; they knew who was there, “G-Greetings.”  
Asgore stepped into the living room, “Howdy, Chara.”  
He raised a brow, “Are you finishing your project?”  
Chara bushed, looked to the side, and nodded silently. Asgore smiled as he approached, “I see. Were you and-“  
He saw the papers on the table out of the corner of his eyes, “Hmm? Did I forget something here?”  
Chara spoke with slight solemn, “No. We… ran into Gaster. He teleported us into a room and…. Told us to give it to you.”  
Asgore quickly scooped up the papers and frowned, “Did he hurt you?”  
“No.”  
Asgore gave a sigh of relief as he turned towards Chara, “Thank goodness. Was this…. All?”  
Chara hesitated, “Well…”  
Asgore approached and kneeled down before Chara, “You can tell me, I will not be angry with you. Dr. Gaster is a powerful monster, and despite our precautions, it was… inevitable he would have spoken with you without us. I am just thankful he did not use that opportunity to hurt you.”

Chara took a deep sigh, “He spoke with us, and he… showed us… something.”  
“What did he show you?”  
Chara looked down, “Do you remember when a moldbygg attacked me?”  
Asgore raised an eyebrow, “Yes, but what does that incident have to do with this?”  
Chara curled their hands into a fist, “It is related. We did not think any blood was spilled but, we were wrong.”  
Asgore’s face grew in concern as Chara continued, “When we told him about the incident, he had searched for the area and… he used the blood to create a substitute.”  
Asgore spoke in slight shock, “He succeeded?!”  
Chara raised a hand and distanced their fingers by an inch or so, “Only one, and it was about this big.”  
Asgore relaxed, “I… I do not even know how to respond to this. He has succeeded, but he has still used you, against my orders.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow and spoke dryly, “Unless you said something to him without my knowledge, you have not directly stated not to use me, only that you would not give me to him.”  
Asgore chuckled lightly, “I suppose that is correct, but it is still troubling.”

He paused, his gaze turned towards the hallway before he returned it towards Chara, “How did… Asriel react?”  
Chara crossed their arms and frowned, “He curled himself into a ball and cried until Gaster put the substitute away.”  
Asgore sounded relieved, “Then he did not eat it at least.”  
Chara mused dryly, “He is starting to lose control.”  
Asgore put a hand to Chara’s shoulder, “We will prevent it, I promise. He will never eat you, nor will I, nor Tori.”  
Chara frowned but gently removed Asgore’s hand from their shoulder, “Thank you Fa-“

Chara stopped themselves, they covered their mouth and quickly turned their gaze. Asgore smiled, “It is alright, you may call me your father when you feel you feel comfortable. We have all the time in the world.”  
Chara lowered their arms and frowned deeply, “It is… not that I am not comfortable here, it is just… difficult to disassociate that word with my own father.”  
Asgore shook his head slowly, “No, Chara; I am not trying to take his place. I can tell that he means a lot to you, and should always have a place in your heart. I am just an additional father, not a replacement. Tori is the same way.”  
Chara mused, their expression lightened slightly, “I never thought of it in that regard.”  
Asgore stood, “Either way, I will leave you to your project. I will be in my room, simply knock on my door when you are done.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow as Asgore made his way to the kitchen, “This is quite early, are you truly done for the day?”  
Asgore smiled, “Toriel saw I was tired and insisted I come home to rest, and to see how you two were doing.”  
Chara nodded in response, “I see…”

They waited until Asgore walked past them again and heard his door close until they pulled out their project; a fully finished pink sweater. The words “Mr. Dad” along with an unfinished “G” were stitched onto to sweater with yellow yarn. They sighed contently before they continued to stitch onto the sweater in silence. It took them about a half hour to finish their protect. They held it in front of them, the large sweater spilled over their legs. The letters spelled out “Mr. Dad Guy” plainly on the sweater. They gave a small but proud smile at their work, finally complete. They turned their gaze down the hall in quiet contemplation before they sighed and rose from their chair. They folded the sweater and held it close to them as they walked down the hall. They knocked on Asgore’s door; they nearly hid their face in the sweater as they heard his footsteps approach the door. It gently opened towards Chara, so they stepped back to allow the door to open. Asgore smiled down at them, “Yes, Chara? Did you need something.”  
They turned their head, “The…. The sweater is done.”  
They held it out in front of them. Asgore smiled before he grasped it and unfolded it. He noticed the sweater was not blank, “Oh? Writing? What does it…”  
His words trailed off as he examined the sweater and the words stitched onto it. He smiled, “It is lovely, Chara. I think I will try it on right now. I will be a moment.”

With the sweater in hand, he closed the door. It was only a minute before he opened the door wide and stepped into the hall. He beamed, “It fits wonderfully! There is just enough comfort room. How ever did you guess?”  
Chara hugged one of their arms and blushed, “I asked Mo-…Toriel for your measurements.”  
Asgore chuckled deeply, “That would make the most sense.”  
He kneeled down and gently tussled Chara’s hair, “Thank you Chara, this was quite the thoughtful gift.”  
Chara eyes widened for a moment before they turned their gaze, “Y-you’re welcome.”

Asgore stood and turned his gaze down the hallway, “How long has Asriel been asleep?”  
Chara relaxed with a deep breath, “Since we came home around three hours ago.”  
Asgore turned his gaze back toward Chara, “I see. How about we go to the garden while he is still asleep? I believe the rosemary is ready to be picked.”

Chara said nothing but gave a nod of agreement. Asgore quickly found a basket for himself and Chara before he guided Chara to the garden. The two walked most of the way in silence, Chara hid their gaze, but only subtle. Asgore eventually spoke in concern, “Is everything alright, Chara?”  
Chara turned their head away, “I am fine.”  
Asgore gave a patient smile, “Are you embarrassed about the sweater? I think it is quite nice, and I am sure-“  
Chara quickly interrupted, “It is not that.”  
“Are you sure? You have been acting quite strange today.”  
His eyes flashed further concern, “Did something else happen today?”  
Chara raised their voice and looked up at him, “It is not that!”  
Tears peaked from their eyes; they quickly attempted to wipe them away before they poured. Asgore dropped his bucket before he kneeled down and gently grasped Chara’s shoulders, “Chara? What is wrong?”  
He hugged them, “Please, I just want to help you.”  
Chara breathed deeply, “Why do you have to be like him?”  
Asgore loosened the hug, confused, “What do you mean?”  
“Why do you have to remind me of my original father?!”

Asgore was silent for a few moments in shock before he spoke, “I… I did not mean to remind you of him. I just-“  
Chara sniffled, “You just want to help me.”  
“Yes, but I…” He paused, his gaze averted slightly as he continued, “I do not mean to remind you of him, and I believe he meant much to you.”  
He turned Chara’s head up by their chin, “I am not asking you to forget him, nor asking you to not see aspects of him within me. That would be impossible.”  
Chara spoke weakly, “What should I do?! You praise me like he did, he always tried to support and protect me. What if you!….”  
Chara’s words trailed off as tears streamed from their eyes. They buried their face into Asgore’s chest and wept. Asgore lightly wrapped his arms around them. He spoke softly, “I did not realize. But, I promise you, we will not perish before you. Toriel, Asriel, and I will be here, with you, for the rest of your days.”  
Chara pulled away slightly, “And after?”  
Asgore patted their head, “We properly lay you to rest, perhaps in the garden. No monster will eat you. Ever.”  
Chara breathed deeply before they gave a small smile, “I… I think I would like that.”  
Asgore stood with a gentle smile, “I would too.”

The two turned to walk the tunnel, but before they could walk a single step, they saw Toriel. She stood far from them, just before a bend of the tunnel. She approached as she saw the two of them notice her. She frowned as she spoke, “I… thought it would be best not to interrupt.”  
She turned her gaze towards Chara and spoke gently, “I make that same promise to you, Chara. No monster will eat you.”  
She smiled towards Asgore, “Though, I do like the idea of the garden. But I believe the choice is ultimately up to Chara.”  
Chara seemed to have recovered, their tone now calm, “Later.”  
Toriel nodded, “Of course. Now, were you two off to the garden? Where is Asriel?”  
Asgore answered calmly as he retrieved his basket, “Asriel is still asleep, but, they… encountered Dr. Gaster.”  
Toriel’s eyes widened before she approached Chara, “Did he hurt you?!”  
Chara shook their head, “No. He talked to us and… showed us a prototype for the substitute.”  
“He succeeded?! How?!”  
“The moldbygg.”

Toriel lightly face-palmed with her left hand, “This is horrible.”  
She removed her hand from her face. Her expression became stern as she turned towards Asgore, “Gorey, we have to do something! Reprimand him, take it away, something! We cannot allow him to go unpunished for this!”  
Asgore gave a deep sigh, “We cannot fire him; we did not find good cause for firing him with our investigation.”  
Toriel huffed, “If you do not do something, then I will.”  
“Tori?”  
Toriel stood, “I must protect my child, I would hope you do the same.”  
Chara spoke up, an eyebrow raised, “What will you do?”  
Toriel hesitated, stumped, “…I… I just…”  
She gave a defeated sigh, “I just want you to be safe. Knowing he took your blood, it makes me furious.”  
Asgore spoke, “I think I know what to do.”  
He comforted Toriel, nuzzled his nose against her snout, “We must be calm, we will give him a chance to explain himself.”  
Toriel bit her lip, “I am through talking with him. If he so much as touches Chara again, I-“  
She stopped herself, prevented her voice raised. She turned her gaze towards Chara quickly before she turned her gaze back to Asgore, “Perhaps… we should discuss this later. You are right, Gorey, I should calm down.”

Chara chimed in towards Asgore, “You said just now you cannot fire him. Why?”  
Asgore spoke solemnly, “The investigation did not bring up any true friable offense. The most we found was some mild accounts of misplaced paperwork due to an antiquated filing system and the lack of railings around the Core. The latter was only due to the rate Hotland could produce the metal, without reducing the amount given to build homes.”  
Toriel mused, “Now that I think about it, firing him would not be the best idea. Under us, he has much more restrictions and surveillance. If we cut him loose, who knows what he could do.”  
Chara mused dryly, “Most likely kidnap me at the earliest opportunity.”  
Toriel’s eyes flared, “I’ve got it! We’ll put him under surveillance! We could put it under the guise of sending more help!”  
Asgore gave some slight shock at first, before he calmly smiled, “That could work.”  
“I would like to think so.” She then cleared her throat, calmer than before, “Now… I will let you two go to the garden. Please pick some rosemary for tonight’s dinner.”

—————————————————————————————–  
Asgore and Chara returned home, their baskets half full of herbs and flowers. The two heard a voice greet them, “Howdy dad!”  
Asriel smiled down at the two, near the house entrance. Asgore replied, “Howdy, Asriel, did you enjoy your nap?”  
Asriel stretched, “Yep! I feel much better!”  
He blinked, “I-I mean-“  
Chara rolled their eyes as they came to the top of the stairs along with Asgore, “You were sleepy when we came back, of course you are better.”  
Asriel gave a nervous chuckle, “Right…”

Asgore ruffled Asriel’s fur, “You were very strong-willed to resist the substitute.”  
Asriel frowned, he hugged one of his arms, “I… I just don’t want to hurt Chara. I just have to remember that and I’m fine.”  
Chara rolled their eyes, only seen by Asriel, before Asgore continued, “That does sound nice, but if you find yourself struggling, do not be afraid to ask for help.”  
Asriel nodded, “I will.”  
Asgore took both baskets, “Now, dinner should be ready soon. Why don’t you two set the table.”  
Asriel beamed, “Okay, dad!”  
Chara silently nodded as they followed Asgore and Asriel into the living room. Asriel spoke up, “I see Chara finished your sweater.”  
Asgore smiled, “Yes, and it is quite comfy.”  
Chara blushed and turned their head to the side before they heard Toriel call from the kitchen, “I think it looks wonderful.”  
Chara grumbled, “The stitching could have been better.”  
Asgore turned back towards Chara, “It may not be fancy, but it was made with love and dedication. I like the simplicity to it.”  
Asriel smiled, “Besides, if you really want to do a better one, you could next time!”  
Chara rubbed the back of their head, “Fair point.”

Asriel beamed once more, “C’mon, I smell that the snail stew’s ready! Let’s set the table before it gets cold!”  
Asriel rushed into the kitchen, Chara slowly followed behind. Both gathered bowls and silverware before they calmly walked into the living room to set the table. Asgore mused near the kitchen entrance, “Hmmm, which tea should we have tonight? I was thinking something strong that would not be overshadowed by the stew. Perhaps jasmine?”  
Asriel whined, “But it’s really bitter.”  
Chara spoke calmly, “I would like some. If it is bitter, you can always add something to it.”  
Asriel puffed his cheeks, “Okay…”  
Asgore nodded, “Jasmine it is, I will start brewing it while you two finish setting the table.”

The three entered the kitchen, Asriel and Chara retrieved bowls and teacups while Asgore went to work on the tea. Asriel and Chara finished setting the table and sat down in their seats. Asriel looked back to the kitchen before they whispered to Chara, “They don’t know about our fights today?”  
Chara lightly shook their head before they whispered, “They only know about Gaster. Let us keep it that way.”  
“Okay.”

They relaxed in silence before Toriel exited the kitchen. She held a large pot, the sent of snail stew became more powerful as Toriel approached the table. She began to ladle the stew into the bowls on the table. She spoke calmly to Asriel and Chara, “Besides your unfortunate run-in, how was your day?”  
Chara spoke up, “Fairly calm. We had almost ran into another monster, but we managed to evade it.”  
“Did it see you?”  
Chara shook their head lightly, “Not that I could see.”  
Asriel nodded, “We were in Waterfall, so it was really dark. I took them to see the lights, and the lake view of New Home.”  
Toriel smiled, “Did you like them?”  
Chara nodded, “The lights were similar to stars, but I still felt something was missing.”  
Asriel giggled, “You said shooting stars were missing.”  
Toriel finally sat down, the bowls now full of stew, “How nostalgic, shootings stars are certainly something we do not have down here.”  
“Do they really grant wishes?”  
Toriel mused, “Perhaps, but you must also work towards the wish. The star cannot do all of the work.”  
Asriel mused as he reached for his fork, “I guess that makes sense.”

Asgore soon exited the kitchen with a pot of tea, “There we are, Asriel, I know you would like some sugar.”  
Asriel nodded, “Uh-huh! Please!”  
Asgore approached the table to pour his own cup first, “Would you like any sugar, Chara?”  
Chara lowered their fork, “No thank you, Father.”  
A fork clattered into a soup bowl, Toriel spoke in surprise, “Chara… you…”  
Chara’s eyes widened as they turned their gaze towards Toriel. Surprise filled her gaze. Chara shook slightly, “I… I am sorry, I shou-“  
Toriel spoke, “No!”  
Tears began to leak from Toriel’s eyes, “I am just so happy, you are finally, truly accepting us as your family.”  
Asriel sniffled, “Mom, don’t start crying. I-I’ll start crying too…”  
Asgore set the teapot down and walked over to Toriel, “Tori.”  
Asgore nuzzled his nose against Toriel’s snout. Toriel sighed contently and wiped away her tears, “Thank you, Gorey.”  
She turned her attention towards Chara, “I… I understand you are not ready to call me your mother, but I will wait patiently for that time.”  
Chara nodded before they notice Asriel still sniffling, they gave a dry chuckle, “Still about to cry?”  
Asriel whined, “I’m not gonna cry.”  
He quickly wiped away his tears, “See?”  
Chara shrugged as Asgore headed towards the kitchen, he cleared his throat, “Did um… anyone else want sugar?”


	31. Recipe

The next day, Asriel and Chara decided to stay home and relax. The two sat in their room, both stumped on what they should do. Asriel rattled off another suggestion, “Sparing practice?”  
Chara grinned impishly and raised an eyebrow, “With how you performed against Father last night?”  
Asriel puffed his cheeks, “I wasn’t that bad. I really tried. I don’t think I’m good with close combat like you are.”  
He relaxed before he scratched his head and sighed, “Well… what do you want to do? You haven’t made one suggestion!”  
Chara gently held their chin, “Perhaps a walk around the house will fix this.”  
Asriel shrugged, “I guess…”

The two stood and began their stroll around the quiet house, devoid of their parents once more. The two searched some of the drawers, away from their parents’ rooms. They soon made their way to the kitchen to find a familiar book in one of the drawers. Chara raised an eyebrow, “This is the book you found in the dump.”  
Asriel examined the book as Chara pulled it out of the drawer, “Yeah, it is!”  
Chara opened the book and mused, “Some recipes are most likely damaged by the water.”  
Asriel beamed, “Let’s try to make something!”  
Chara gave a small smile, “That could be entertaining.”  
They flipped through the pages slowly, they sighed, “Many of these are barely legible,”  
Asriel frowned as Chara passed a recipe that was completely erased, “I guess mom couldn’t save them.”  
Chara let out a small noise of agreement and continued, the pages became clearer as they turned. Chara then stopped at a page, “This one appears to have very little water damage; only a few splotches.”  
The two turned their gaze towards the picture and found it to be of a berry pie. Very few of the instructions and ingredients were smudged. Asriel smiled, “I think we can make it!”  
Chara placed the book on the counter, “Then let us make it. Get the chairs while I look at what we require.”  
Asriel raised an eyebrow, “Why do we need chairs?”  
Chara tapped the counter, “So we can stir the ingredients properly, it would not work from this height.”  
“Okay!” Asriel quickly walked into the living room and grabbed one of the chairs. He pulled it back into the kitchen. Chara grabbed it and moved it an inch or so in front of the counter before they stood on top of it. They sighed as Asriel pulled the second chair in, “I cannot read this ingredient.”  
Asriel put his chair into place and climbed on top of it next to Chara. He squinted his eye at the paper, “Um… I can’t read- oh! It starts with a ‘b’!”  
Chara squinted and examined the page once more, “You are right. I think it says…. Butter… cups?”  
Asriel raised an eyebrow, “The flower?”  
Chara shrugged, “Perhaps it mixes well with the berries, we do still have berries, correct?”  
Asriel hopped down and opened the fridge, “Yep! Good thing you haven’t wanted a fruit salad lately!”  
Chara rolled their eyes, “Your mother would disagree.”  
Asriel closed the fridge, “So… should we go get the flowers before we start?”  
Chara nodded, “That would most likely be for the best.”  
Asriel smirked, “Race you there!”  
Chara rolled their eyes, “After we get down the stairs.”  
Asriel rubbed his head and gave a nervous laugh, “Right.”

The two carefully made their way down the stairs before they lined themselves at the foot of said stairs. The two each readied themselves to run. Asriel spoke out, “Ready? Go!”  
The two took off at the same time. Chara took the lead very early, with Asriel fallen behind with heavy breath. Halfway to the garden, Asriel suddenly stopped his near-wheeze, replaced with focused, shallow breaths. Confused at this sudden change, chara raised a brow and turned their head behind them. Chara widened their eyes; they saw Asriel quickly close the distance between the two. They shook slightly as they saw Asriel’s eyes were completely focused on Chara, and he veered towards them instead of straight. Chara spoke out nervously, “Asriel?”  
Nothing came from Asriel but the shallow breaths. Chara gritted their teeth before they stopped and turned towards Asriel. Asriel jumped towards Chara, but Chara quickly dodged out of the way. Asriel crashed onto the ground, “Owwwww.”  
Chara approached him cautiously as he rubbed his nose and arms, which took the brunt of his fall. Their hand unconsciously lingered towards their knife, “Care to explain what that was?”  
Asriel groaned, “What… what was? Weren’t we just running?”  
Chara narrowed their eyes suspiciously, “What is the last thing you remember clearly before you crashed on the floor?”  
Asriel turned and scratched his head, “Um…. I think you were getting way ahead of me… and I felt… really tired. Then the crash.”  
He frowned in concern, “What… happened?”  
Chara was silent for a moment before they sighed, they relaxed, their arm relaxed onto their side. They spoke simply, “Nothing, you just tripped as you attempted to catch up.”  
Asriel stood, “Really?”  
Chara nodded silently, Asriel gave a noise of uncertainty, “Okay…”

Chara began to walk once more, “Let us just walk the rest of the way to and from.”  
Asriel slowly trailed behind, “Are you sure nothing else happened?”  
“Yes.”  
Asriel sighed before they continued in silence towards the garden. Once the two reached the garden, they were quick to find the buttercups near the back of the garden. Asriel bent a knee to pick some, “How much do we need?”  
Chara kneeled down before they went on both of their knees to pick the buttercups, “Let us get a small bouquet, that should be more than enough.”  
The two picked flowers in silences for a few moments. Asriel stood, “I think this should be enough.”  
Chara handed the buttercups they picked to Asriel before they stood. The two walked in silence, Asriel carried the buttercups back home. Midway through, Chara scratched their hands vigorously. Asriel raised an eyebrow, “Are you okay?”  
Chara lightly turned their gaze to Asriel, “Yes, they merely itch.”  
“Okay.”

The two of them made their way back home and began to prepare the pie. They plucked the stems from the buttercups and evenly distributed them through the pie, mixed well with the berries. Happy with their work, they put it in the oven and waited nearly an hour. Chara and Asriel donned oven mitts before they opened the oven. A wave of heat blasted onto them, Chara spoke out, “Careful.”  
Asriel raised an eyebrow, “Shouldn’t you be the one that’s careful? My fur can protect me a little, but you only have skin.”  
Chara rolled their eyes, “Just help me get the pie out.”  
Asriel sighed before he did just that, both of the carefully placed the pie on the countertop on a hand towel. Chara took in the scent of the fresh pie, “It smells good.”  
Asriel sniffed the air lightly, “Yeah, but snail pie smells better.”

“So you spent your day preparing this?” A deep voice echoed from the kitchen entrance. The two turned to see Asgore there, still in his armor. Asriel smiled and ran up to him, “When did you get home?”  
Asgore lightly patted Asriel’s head, “Just now, it is good to see you two.”  
Chara approached with a calm expression, “Greetings, Father. Will you be staying after lunch?”  
Asgore shook his head lightly and sighed, “Unfortunately not, your mother and I have much to accomplish today. She should come just in time for this pie to cool.”  
Chara gave an amused smile and spoke dryly, “Only if we place it inside the fridge, unless she will be here in an hour.”  
Asriel moaned lightly, “I don’t know if I can wait that long for lunch.”  
Asgore carefully went to pick up the pie tin with the cloth under it, “She will only be here in ten minutes, the fridge should cool it enough to eat.”  
Asgore held the pie in hand as he approached the fridge, “In the meantime, why don’t the two of you wash up and clean the counter?”  
Asriel nodded, “Okay!”

Asriel put their oven mitts on the counter before he calmly walked over to the sink to wash his hands and face. Chara stood next to them; their arms crossed and leaned against the counter. They eventually all washed their hands and face before they all set the table for lunch. It wasn’t long before they heard Toriel walk up the stairs. She lightly sniffed the air and smiled, “Asriel, Chara, have you two been baking today?”  
Asriel ran up to Toriel with a wide smile, “Yeah! It’s in the fridge so we could have it for lunch.”  
Toriel nodded, “That sounds nice, but we will need a side of snails for our nutrition.”  
Asriel jumped up and down in joy, “Yay! Chara and I worked so hard on it!”  
Chara gave a very slight impish smile, “Does that mean I will receive a larger piece than each of you?”  
Toriel gave a small laugh as she entered the living room with Asriel, “Indeed it does. Unless you desire some snails.”  
Chara shook their head, “No thank you.”  
Asgore stood and nuzzled Toriel’s nose lightly, “I am glad she did not take very long.”  
Chara raised an eyebrow as Toriel approached the kitchen, “Who?”  
Toriel called from the kitchen, “Just one of the guard. She was giving a report on the investigation for those missing monsters.”  
Asgore returned to his seat, “Did she add anything of importance after I left?”  
“No, just her concern and a proclamation to continue until at least one of them are found.”  
Asriel frowned and fiddled with his thumbs, “Are there… any clues?”  
Asgore sighed, “None that could be seen. It is very strange, even large monsters are beginning to disappear.”  
Chara climbed into their seat, “As in monsters larger than you, Father?”  
Asgore chuckled lightly, “Yes, much larger. Today a report of a large aquatic monster was reported to us.”  
Asriel’s eyes widened, “How… large?”  
Asgore scratched his beard as he examined the room, “Just as large if not larger than this room.”  
Chara narrowed their eyes slightly, “Is it possible for a monster that large to disappear?”  
Asgore relaxed in his chair, “If this report is to be believed, then it is possible.”  
Asriel lightly bit his lip in worry, “I… hope they find it.”  
Toriel exited the kitchen with the new pie in mitted hands. She gave a patient smile, “I hope so as well.”

She placed the pie and a large knife on the table, “Gorey, would you mind cutting the pie while I heat up some snails?”  
Asgore stood, “Of course.”  
Toriel headed back into the kitchen before Asgore distributed the pie amongst everyone. The pie still had some small heat to it, but the pie was cooled enough to slice without the berries spilled out onto the pan too much. Asgore was careful to place pieces of pie onto plates before he gave them to Chara and Asriel. Asriel dug his fork into the pie before he heard Toriel call from the kitchen, “Chara? Asriel? Would you two please come here for a moment?”  
Asriel put the fork down without a bite, “Sure, mom!”  
Chara did the same before they silently followed Asriel into the kitchen. Toriel held the cookbook in her arms, “Which recipe did you two follow?”  
Chara took the book and flipped the pages until the book was opened to the berry pie recipe, “This one.”  
Toriel raised an eyebrow at the recipe, “I see, but… why are there flower stems in the garbage?”  
Chara pointed to the water slight water damage in the recipe, “The recipe called-.”  
The three of them suddenly heard violent coughs from the living room. Toriel gasped before she rushed out of the kitchen, “Gorey!?”  
“Dad?!” Asriel called out at the same time and chased after.  
“Father?!” Chara dropped the book and chased after as well. The three entered the living room to see Asgore now on the floor, coughing violently. Toriel approached Asgore quickly, “Dear?!”  
Asriel and Chara stood a few feet from them, Asriel on the verge of tears. But Chara, they held a numb expression; only hints of shock could be seen.  
Asgore replied hoarsely, “The… pie…”  
Toriel turned to look at the half-eaten pie. The berries were there but she used a claw and pulled a yellow petal from the pie, “Wha-“  
She shook it off and returned to her husband, “Never mind that now, we must get him to bed. Asriel, help me. Chara, please throw the pie away.”  
Asriel cried out, “But-“  
Toriel went to lift Asgore, whom finally stopped coughing. He breathed heavily by this point as Toriel kept her voice down, but firm, “No buts. Now please, we must help him.”  
Asriel nodded and began to help Toriel. Chara stood there in a numb daze before Toriel and Asriel started to drag him out of the living room. Toriel turned her head back, “Chara, please. The pie.”  
Chara turned away from them and walked towards the table. They stood there, numb, before they began to laugh. A slow chuckle at first, it built to an almost crazed laughter. Tears streamed from Chara’s eyes, unbeknownst to Toriel and Asriel as the two of them worked to get Asgore in bed.

——————————————————————————————

What felt like hours passed, but in truth, it was mere minutes. Toriel, Asriel, and Chara gathered in the living room while Asgore slept. A bucket was placed at his bedside, as he groaned with nausea. Toriel examined the recipe book and sighed, “I see what happened, now.”  
Asriel, still with tears in his eyes, spoke worried, “What did we do wrong?! We followed the recipe!”  
Toriel showed the page to Asriel and Chara, then pointed to the smudge, “This. Because of the smudge, you read ‘buttercups’ when it should say butter and cups, then the amount.”

Asriel sniffled, “But why did dad get sick?”  
Toriel closed the book, “Unfortunately, not all plants are fit for consumption. We may not need them in our diet, but that does not mean we cannot be affected by their defenses.”  
“Defenses?”  
Toriel continued, “The buttercups… as you could tell, caused your father to become sick. His throat and stomach both ache, and he is vomiting.”  
Asriel nodded, “I think I get it, but will he get better?”  
“He should.” She turned her head towards Chara, “But in the meantime, Chara, please do not approach him until he is fully recovered. He is more likely to give into instinct in his weakened state.”  
Chara nodded their head silently. They kept a calm, numb expression. Toriel sighed, “We will eat and then I am afraid I will have to ask the two of you to stay in your room.”  
Asriel frowned, “Okay…”

The night came quickly, but Chara tossed and turned in their bed. They sighed before they turned their gaze to Asriel. He slept soundly, with a light snore. They slipped out of their bed and snuck out of the room, sure to quietly open and close the door. They turned their gaze first towards the kitchen; their mind swam in thoughts of the pie. They frowned before their gaze turned towards the end of the hall. They tiptoed down the hall, past Toriel’s room to Asgore’s room. They lifted their arm to open the door, but they hesitated. Their hand shook just above the doorknob. Small tears peaked from their eyes before they opened the door. They heard a hoarse voice grumble, “Tori?”  
They heard Asgore shift in bed before a groan, “Chara? What are you doing?”  
Chara came into the room, they hugged one of their arms against their chest, “I… I wanted to apologize.”  
Asgore shifted once more, “Please, you must leave. I may be better in the morning, but I… I do not want to risk-“  
He coughed violently once again for a few seconds. Chara ran up to him and grabbed one of his paws. Asgore closed his hand, “Please, I feel very weak. I do not want to hurt you.”  
Tears dripped onto Asgore’s hand, Chara slightly sobbed, “And I did not intend to hurt you.”  
They continued their sobs, Asgore frowned and cradled Chara’s left cheek, “Chara, it was an accident. Tori and Asriel told me everything.”  
Chara held Asgore’s hand, “But I still hurt you.”  
“But you were not hurt. You and Asriel could have been in the same situation.”  
Chara blinked in a slight realization before they sniffled and frowned again, “I’m sorry.”  
“I promise you, you are more than forgiven. We learn from our mistakes.”  
He smiled, “Perhaps when I recover, we could all attempt to make the pie as the recipe actually states.”  
Chara smiled before they began to sob into Asgore’s hand. Asgore gave a patient smile as they cradled Chara’s face gently as they sobbed for a few minutes before they left him for the night.


	32. New Item

The night passed without further incident, none but Asgore and Chara knew of Chara’s visit. Asgore recovered but decided to relax for the morning. Toriel left to take care of matters, which left Asgore, Asriel, and Chara together in the house. Asriel mused, “What should we do today?”  
Chara shrugged, “I want to go out again.”  
Asgore smiled from his chair at the table, “Perhaps I could accompany you this time?”  
Asriel frowned, “But, shouldn’t you rest?”  
Asgore stood and gave a warm chuckle, “I feel much better; I am able to walk.”  
Chara mused dryly, “I suppose the King of Monsters would be the best escort we would ever receive.”  
Asriel giggled, “Yeah.”

The three of them quickly stuffed the backpack, Asgore held it, “So, where were you two going to today?”  
Chara scratched their chin, “Hmm… the dump.”  
Asriel smiled, “You wanna find new things?!”  
Chara nodded, “Perhaps we will find something better this time.”  
Asgore nodded lightly, “That sounds lovely.”  
Asriel gasped, his tone slightly shook, “He gets to meet Riverperson!”  
Asgore raised an eyebrow, “You refer to the monster that expedites your travels?”  
Chara nodded, “Do not worry, they are polite.”  
Asriel frowned, “…If you’re polite…”  
Asgore smiled, “Of course, I will be sure to thank them. Let us go meet them.”

The three made their way to Riverperson’s Hotland dock; thankfully no one interfered with their travels. Many even turned their gaze during their walk through The Core. Chara rang Riverperson’s bell with a smile; Riverperson appeared mere seconds later upon the river. They crooked their hood, “Tra la la, first the Queen, and now I am graced with the King on my boat.”  
They bowed lightly, “Greetings, King Asgore.”  
Asgore returned the bow, “Howdy, Riverperson. It is nice to meet you after all this time.”  
Riverperson stood tall, “Will you be accompanying your children today?”  
“Yes. We are on our way to the dump.”  
“Waterfall it is. Please step aboard.”

The three of them cautiously stepped aboard Riverperson’s boat. Chara bowed lightly, “Greetings once again, Riverperson.”  
Asriel gave a half smile, “Hello… again…”  
Riverperson turned their attention to Asriel and Chara, “Hello again, Chara, little Asriel.”  
Riverperson turned forward, “Tra la la, to Waterfall we go.”  
The boat then gently floated away from the stone dock. Asgore marveled, “How wonderful, is this boat moved by your magic, Riverperson?”  
Riverperson turned their hood towards Asgore, “Indeed, my king.”  
Asgore gave a slight chuckle and raised a hand, “Please, just Asgore will do.”  
“Of course, your wife asked the same.”  
Asgore smiled fondly, “That does not surprise me.”

He paused, but soon his tone turned curious, “If… I may ask, why do you hide your face?”  
Chara and Asriel tensed before Riverperson spoke calmly, “Tra la la, it is my preference. You prefer to face the public in gold-painted armor, no? It is a front you must uphold, I consider my cloak the same.”  
Asgore nodded contently, a small smile cracked upon his face, “I see, I hope that did not come across as prying.”  
Riverperson chuckled lightly, “You are not the first to ask, and I suspect you will not be the last. Curiosity can be a wonderful thing, so long as the cat knows where the line is drawn.”  
Asriel gave a nervous chuckle, “Y-yeah.”  
Riverperson turned forward, “Tra la la, your stop is soon.”  
Asgore turned his gaze ahead of the boat, “My, that was quick. I understand why you two would prefer to travel this way.”  
Asriel gave a small smile, “It’s faster and safer!”  
Asgore turned his gaze towards his children with a frown, “I see.”  
The boat docked at Riverperson’s Waterfall stop, Asgore turned his voice towards Riverperson after he exited the boat, “Riverperson, would you consider your boat safe?”  
Riverperson crooked their hood as Chara and Asriel exited the boat, “That would depend upon the passengers, but it is safe for your children if that is your concern. So long as they remember to be polite.”  
Asgore gave a sigh of relief, “It is good to hear you say that.”  
Riverperson turned forward, “Tra la la, another calls from Snowdin. Farewell, Asgore, Chara, little Asriel.”  
Riverperson’s boat glided away from the Waterfall stop. Asgore turned his attention once again to his kids, “Well, shall we continue to the dump?”

——————————————————————————————

“How far do you two go when searching for new items?” Asgore questioned as Chara and Asriel led him deep into the dump. Asriel shrugged, “I go near the back; that’s where all the newer stuff is.”  
“That would make sense.”  
Chara’s eyes shifted to the piles as they continued their journey through the dump. Asriel smiled, “See anything interesting yet?”  
Chara lightly shook their head, “Not yet.”  
Asgore went to a nearby pile, “There is so much, how could you pick only a few items from these piles?”  
Asriel mused as Asgore picked up a broken snowglobe, “I dunno, I guess I just look and pick up stuff I’d use.”  
“Such as the crayons and the coloring books?”  
Asriel nodded, “Uh-huh.”

Chara turned back towards Asriel and Asgore, “Did you two find something?”  
Asgore shook his head, “No, only a broken snowglobe.”  
Asriel whined slightly, “It was a pretty one, too.”  
Chara shrugged, “Perhaps you could find one that was not broken,”  
Asriel smiled, “Yeah!”  
Asgore chuckled lightly, “Now I see why you enjoy this, the thrill of discovery.”

The three continued deeper into the dump, their eyes constantly shifted towards the piles in search of anything of their interests. They soon came to the pile that housed the newest of the dump’s treasures. Asriel marveled at the pile, “Wow, it’s bigger again!”  
Chara began to climb onto the pile, Asgore spoke in worry, “Please be careful.”  
Chara rolled their eyes before they looked back at Asgore, “I will be fine, Father.”  
Chara reached the top of the pile in two more steps and began to dig into it. Asriel gave an unsure noise, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to dig directly down…”  
Chara ignored him and continued to dig, their eyes were locked onto just after their hands, “I see something.”  
Asriel blinked, “Already!? What did you find?!”  
Asriel began to messily climb the pile, “Let me help!”  
Chara didn’t turn their gaze, “No, you will just-“  
Items began to roll off the pile with each step of Asriel’s climb. The pile became unstable as he neared the top and it began to topple towards Asriel. Chara and Asriel fell into the pile, Asriel covered by much of the junk and but Chara on top of most of it. Asgore gasped and quickly began to dig them out, “Are you two hurt?!”  
Chara shook their head, “I am fine.”  
Asriel spoke, their voice slightly muffled by the junk, “I’m okay!”  
Asgore gave a deep sigh, “Please be more careful, you do not know what has fallen down here.”  
Chara reached into the pile with a smile, “I know what this is.”  
Chara pulled out a large video camcorder, large enough to record onto VHS. Asriel blinked, “What’s that?”  
Chara smirked, they lightly shook the device as they spoke, “A video camera.”  
Asriel crawled toward Chara, “What’s video?”  
Asriel sat next to Chara as Chara turned the camcorder on, “Moving pictures.”  
Asriel gasped, “Really?! How does it work?”

One of the camcorder’s lights begun to glow red, Chara smiled before they pointed the camcorder towards them, “Say something.”  
Asriel crooked his head, “What should I say?”  
Chara lowered the camcorder and pressed a button, “That will do.”  
Asriel raised an eyebrow, “What?”  
Chara then pressed a few more buttons and uncovered a miniature screen, “Watch.”  
The screen at first was black, but a few seconds later, repeated Asriel’s motion and words. Asriel gasped and beamed, “This is amazing! Chara! You found something great!”  
Asgore smiled, “Indeed, this is a wonderful find.”  
Chara then frowned, “But it will not last long.”  
Chara pointed to a small hole near the bottom of the camcorder, “This one requires a special cord to charge it through electricity.”  
Asriel frowned, “Well…. Maybe we can still find it.”  
Chara pressed a button to turn the camera off, “Perhaps, but I would not get my hopes up.”  
Chara carefully climbed down the pile, “Father, would you put this in the backpack?”  
Asgore gently took the camcorder and nodded, “Of course,”  
Chara returned to the pile with Asriel, “If we are to find the cord, then we must be careful.”  
Asriel nodded, “Okay, but… don’t dig straight down.”  
Chara rolled their eyes, “Very well. I will be more careful.”

The two of them searched for a few minutes before Chara found something else. They raised an eyebrow at a small, rectangular object, “I believe this goes with the camera.”  
Asriel rose from the pile, “What is it? Did you find the cord?”  
Chara turned towards Asriel, “No, but I found more tapes to record more video.”  
Asriel blinked, “I saw a few of those, I didn’t think they were for the camera!”  
Chara nodded, “Gather them.”  
Asriel immediately dug into the pile before he pulled out five tapes, each with compartments inside them for smaller tapes, “They’re bigger, but…”  
Chara nodded, “Those are for use when you want to view them outside the camera, on a television.”  
Asriel blinked, “Oooooh, okay, so we need the smaller ones, too, right?”  
“That is where the actual recording is, yes.”  
“Okay, I’ll find more.”  
Asgore held his hands towards them, “Let me take those first.”

Eventually, the two found seven tapes of each type, some on the small ones inside the big ones. Asriel then gasped, “Chara! I think I found the cord you talked about!”  
Chara came over to Asriel to find him with a cord in his hand, stuck inside the pile. Asriel gave a small, nervous chuckle, “It’s kinda stuck.”  
Chara examined the exposed end before they turned towards Asgore, “May I have the camera?”  
Asgore complied, Chara then plugged the camcorder into the exposed plug and nodded, “It is the correct cord, now we must be careful to not break it.”  
The two worked together to bring the cord out of the pile, Asriel sighed, “It looks okay.”  
Chara nodded, “It does not appear to be damaged. We will have to test it at home.”  
Asgore took the cord and put it into the backpack, “I believe this should be enough, I do not think the backpack can hold much more.”  
Chara climbed down from the pile, “Then I suppose there is nothing else we can do here.”  
Asriel whined, “Aww, already? Okay…”  
Asgore chuckled lightly before he patted Asriel’s head, “We can return later.”

——————————————————————————————

Once the camcorder charged, Asriel and Chara played with it for most of the day. Toriel approved of the new item; even she used it once or twice. Before they all knew it, the night had come. They arose in the morning, this time Chara and Asriel were left alone. The two sat in the living room, bored. Asriel gasped, “Let’s go to Snowdin forest and play!”  
Chara smiled, “That does sound fun. Where did you put the scarves?”  
Asriel stood, “In the drawers, there are some coats in there too.”  
Chara nodded, “Then I will gather them. Get some stew.”  
Asriel nodded, “Sure!”  
The two worked together to gather everything they needed, including two coats and two scarves. Chara sighed as they dug out the green, wool cap, “This will be better for the cold.”  
Asriel shrugged, “I’m surprised we haven’t lost that other hat.”  
Chara put the wool cap on, “I am as well.”  
Asriel slung the backpack over his back, “Okay! Let’s go!”  
Chara nodded before the two walked out the door, determined to quickly arrive in Snowdin.


	33. Traitorous Thoughts

Chara shivered as Riverperson’s boat arrived at their Snowdin stop. They were quick to fish out the thick, green coat and yellow scarf from the backpack. Asriel smiled as he fished out a blue coat and his rainbow scarf, “Thanks for letting us change on your boat, Riverperson.”  
Riverperson spoke calmly, “Tra la la, none summon me, so I can delay.”  
The two adjusted and dusted off their coats. Chara then sighed, “We forgot about gloves.”  
Asriel looked down at his hands, “Awww, we did. Um… check your pockets, I may have left some in there.”  
Chara reached into their coat pockets and smiled, “There are gloves in here.”  
Chara revealed two, thickly stitched, yellow gloves. They sighed after they put them on, “Much better.”  
They looked up at Riverperson, “Thank you, again.”  
Riverperson nodded, “Of course, I am always happy to ferry such polite children.”  
The two stepped off the boat into the snow. Asriel waved lightly at Riverperson, “See you later,”  
Riverperson bowed lightly, “I look forward to it.”

The boat began to float before it ran down the river, out of sight of Chara and Asriel. Chara shivered before they used their scarf to cover their mouth and put their hood up on their head. Asriel smiled, “Let’s go! The snow past Snowdin is the best for making snow angels and snow monsters!”  
Chara nodded, “Then let us step carefully.”  
Asriel frowned as he began to walk, “I’m… sure we’ll be okay.”  
Chara mused dryly, “If you say so.”

The two walked in silence as they made their way into town. Few monsters slowly treaded through the shallow snow. Their movements were slow, some panted despite their slow pace. One monster collapsed, saved by someone with her. Asriel frowned and hid his mouth in his scarf. Chara turned their gaze toward him, their voice quiet, “Are you cold?”  
Asriel turned his gaze downward, “A little, but that’s not why…”  
Chara turned their gaze forward, “You know why.”  
Asriel hugged himself, his tone crestfallen, “Yeah…”  
Chara paused, “It is not your fault.”  
Asriel relaxed slightly, “You too.”

The two returned to silence as they walked through the center of town. Chara soon spoke once more, their voice quiet but serious, “Do not react. We are being followed.”  
Asriel blinked, “What are you-“  
Chara shushed Asriel, “Stay quiet.”  
Asriel whispered, “What are you talking about?”  
“They have been following us for a few blocks.”  
“Wh-what should we do?!”  
“We continue.”  
“But-“  
Chara’s tone lowered, “If we react now, the entire town will join in.”  
Asriel paused before he sighed, “Okay…. I think I know where we can lose them.”  
Chara smirked, “Good.”

The two kept their pace as their addition followed them out of town. Asriel led Chara to a path carved into the cliff-side to a large area below. Once on the fire-lit path, they heard a low growl behind them, “H U M A N.”  
Chara reached for their knife; they turned on their heels to see a dog monster in plated armor dash towards them. Their fangs and claws at the ready, their eyes focused on their target. Asriel quickly threw a fireball at the monster, which yelped at the flame. Chara held their knife at the ready, their stance low and wide as the dog shook itself. Its eyes darted between Asriel and Chara before it growled. It raised its head and howled deeply. Asriel shook, “Ch-Chara! Run!”  
Asriel took Chara’s free hand and began to run down the carved path as the howl continued. Chara hissed, “Asriel-”  
Asriel cried out in panic, “He just called the rest of the Royal Guard in Snowdin!”  
Chara’s eyes widened before they tightened their grip on their knife. They gritted their teeth, “How many?”  
Asriel shook, “Um… ten?”  
Chara let out a low, frustrated growl, “Damnit. If there were fewer…”  
Asriel shook his head as the two of them ran down the wound path, “No! The Royal Guard is really skilled with magic and weapons! You can’t fight them!”  
“We have no other choice. They are dogs, they can sniff us out, correct?”  
Asriel hesitated before he frowned, “Yeah… most of them…especially here in Snowdin…”

The two reached the bottom to see a dense forest of pine trees in front of them. Chara turned their gaze upwards to see the begin their descent of the path, “We must move. Now.”  
The two began to run deep into the forest, directionless. Chara turned their gaze behind them to see their footprints deep in the snow, “They will find us if we continue.”  
Asriel panicked for a few seconds before he gasped, “Gimme your jacket! If we both smell like you then they can’t tell who's who!”  
Chara chuckled darkly, “And what will stop them from tearing you apart before they realize you are not me?”  
Asriel stopped in front of Chara and pouted, “We’re doing it. We don’t have time to argue!”  
Chara sighed, “Fine,”  
Chara removed their coat and shivered slightly. Asriel removed their sweater and held it as he took Chara’s coat, “Here, this should keep you warm.”  
The two put on each other’s tops in haste, they heard a voice echo, “There! Tracks! Find them!”  
Asriel and Chara exchanged once last glance before Asriel ran in a direction, Chara reached out to him, but he spoke, “Run another way! Hurry!”  
Chara gritted their teeth before they ran in a different direction, away from Asriel. As the two were out of sight, the Royal Guard arrived at the fork. They all put their noses to the snow, some pointed in the direction Asriel took, and some in the direction Chara took. The original dog growled, “They’re tricking us, split up and find the human!”

Five dogs took each path, their eyes rapidly switched between the tracks and the view in front of them. The original dog, a black and white-furred dog, led the charge down one of the paths. Another dog growled, “You sure it was a human, Doggo?”  
The original dog growled, “It damn well looked like a human and it smells like a human.”  
Another one spoke darkly, “Young one too, nice and tender.”  
Doggo growled, “We can’t eat it, we have to report this to the king and queen!”  
Another one spoke out, “Who cares? As long as we don’t eat the soul, they won’t. Beats this useless gold we get paid.”  
Doggo huffed, “Fine, but if see one bite towards the soul, you’re dust.”  
Another dog perked up, “I see it! Up ahead!”  
They saw a figure in the distance, Doggo smirked, “Let’s get it, mutts! Surround it, I’ll keep on its tail.”  
One called out as the four diverted, two on each side, “Humans don’t have tails!”  
Doggo growled, “It was an expression!”

The four dogs ran ahead until they were at the sides of the figure, hooded, but still ran as fast as their legs could take them. The dogs exchanged glances before a dog on each side ran ahead to box the figure in. The two in front jumped out, far ahead of the figure, but still in its view. The figure gasped and fell back into the snow. The others pounced, all but Doggo’s claws at the ready. Doggo managed to reach the figure first; he removed the hood. He gasped, “STOP!”  
The other dogs stopped, one growled, “What’s the-   
Their words slowed as they took in the slight, “…big… idea…”  
Their target was not a human, but a monster child, one they knew the sight of by heart. They all cried the name in unison, “Prince Dreemurr?!”  
Asriel relaxed, but tears began to weld in his eyes, “Thank goodness.”  
Doggo stood, “Wh-what are you doing all the way out here? With a human?!”  
Asriel sniffled as he sat in the snow, “I…”  
One of the other dogs scoffed, “He probably didn’t even know it was a human.”  
Another dog sniffed Asriel’s coat, “Doubt it; this coat smells like a human. You can smell it, right?”  
Asriel twiddled his thumbs, his expression more nervous, “Um… I… I think so?”  
Another began to walk, “C’mon, this is a waste of our time. We have to find that human.”  
Asriel cried out, “No!”  
The team was silent for a few moments before Doggo nodded, “Yeah, we gotta escort his Highness back to the castle, and calm down the folks in Snowdin.”  
The team sighed, one of the dogs muttered, “Guess we’re stuck with no food, shoulda went the other way.”  
Another one smirked as they all began to walk, “It’s okay, the other team probably caught up to the human by now. They’re probably still eating.”  
Asriel shuffled nervously and muttered under his breath, “Please be safe, Chara…”

——————————————————————————————-

Chara kept their breath shallow as they ran through the deep forest. They kept a firm grip on their knife; their eyes constantly darted behind them. It took less than a minute to see the pack of dogs behind them. Chara counted them. Five. They gritted their teeth. This would be difficult. They could already see the dogs spread in order to flank them. Once the dogs were spread out around them, Chara turned sharply towards the dog on their left. The dog jumped at them, but Chara ducked under them and slashed at their stomach. The dog yelped as it lay upon the snow, dust upon the wound and Chara’s blade. Chara barely had time to react to another dog from their right. They were tackled to the ground; Chara yelped before the quickly used their knife to block a bite from the dog. The dog grinned and grasped the knife in their maw as the remaining three dogs surrounded Chara. Chara desperately tried to take their knife bad, tugging from the knife’s handle. One of the dogs behind them chuckled, “Give it up, just stay still and we’ll make this quick.”  
A voice sounded away from the group, “And what, exactly, were you going to make quick?”  
The dogs stopped their growls instantly; they turned their gaze towards the voice to see a familiar figure approach them. Chara’s eyes widened as well, their grip relaxed from their knife. One of the dogs called out, “What do you want, Dr. Gaster?”  
Gaster halted his advance; he frowned and kept a dry tone in his voice, “Was it not the King’s orders to retrieve any human that should fall? _Alive_?”  
The dog hesitated, many of the other dogs whined slightly as he answered, “…maybe.”  
Gaster smirked before he raised his left arm slightly. His eyes began to glow, his blue brighter than his orange. Chara was instantly lifted out of reach of the dogs as he continued, “Therefore, your job is done. The human is captured.”  
The dogs that held Chara’s knife spit it to the ground, “And what? You’re gonna take all the credit?!”  
Gaster chuckled and smirked, “I would never do anything of the sort. You are free to make your report as the ones who successfully captured the human.”  
Chara began to float over towards Gaster’s right side as he continued, “I will simply deliver it to the king and queen and ask what is to be done with it.”  
Gaster eyed Chara, “Perhaps it is the key to our survival in this prison.”

Chara glared at Gaster as he turned his attention back to the dogs, “Well?”  
The dogs hesitated but they soon scooped up their wounded friend and left Chara alone with Gaster. Once the dogs were out of sight, Gaster then released Chara from the magic. Chara fell to the ground with the thud and a groan. Gaster chuckled as he looked down on Chara with his fingers in a steeple, “I must admit, it is an amusing thought that you could fight five of the Royal Guard on your own.”  
Chara stood, their eyes did not drift from Gaster, “Why did you save me?”  
Gaster frowned, “Contrary to what you may believe, you are of far more use to monsterkind alive, rather than a single monster’s meal.”  
Gaster shrugged his arms and chuckled lightly, “And here I thought it was customary to thank someone for saving another from death. But it appears the custom is replaced with suspicion.”  
Chara walked towards their knife, “Only for those who prove themselves suspicious.”

Chara turned away from Gaster to take hold of their blade before they felt Gaster grab their shoulder. Before they could gasp, they saw themselves teleported to a familiar location; the Throne Room. Two voices gasped at the sudden appearance of Gaster and Chara, both Asgore and Toriel stood from their paperwork-filled thrones. Papers flew around the throne room as Toriel and Asgore called Gaster’s and Chara’s names respectively in confusion. Chara gasped and ran towards the two, “Father! Mother!”  
Gaster’s right eye twitched before he bowed, “Greetings Your Majesties.”  
Asgore and Toriel kneeled to take Chara to their sides. Toriel called out, “What is the meaning of this?! Have we not already explicitly told you to not go near our child?!”  
Gaster spoke calmly, “If I had not, they would have died from your Royal Guard.”  
Asgore and Toriel’s eyes widened in shock, their gaze turned to Chara before Asgore spoke, “Is this true, Chara?”  
Chara hesitated, “…Yes.”  
Toriel glared towards Gaster, “Explain yourself.”  
Gaster shrugged, “I only arrived to see them become surrounded,”  
He motioned lightly towards Chara, “Perhaps it would be best for the human to explain.”

Chara stayed quiet for a few moments. Toriel spoke, her voice still strict, “We will handle this from here. You may return to your work.”  
Gaster smiled, “Of course, as soon as the human thanks me for rescuing them.”  
Chara glared at Gaster silently. Asgore sighed, “Chara, please.”  
Chara sighed and grumbled something under their breath. Gaster leaned forward, his left hand near the left side of his skull, as if to attempt to hear Chara clearer. He spoke, “I’m afraid I did not hear-“  
Chara growled before they gritted their teeth and spoke, “Thank you.”  
Gaster smirked and returned his hands to a steeple, “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”  
Toriel struggled to keep her tone civil, “You received your apology, now leave.”

Gaster raised a finger, “Before I leave, have you two looked through the proposal? I have heard nothing other than the introduction of those new workers you sent.”  
Asgore sighed and stood, “We have, but we still refuse.”  
Gaster frowned, “Why? Are my terms not clear?”  
Asgore continued, “We simply cannot accept the terms. There must be another way other than the sacrifice of a child.”  
Gaster sighed and rubbed his temples, “I have been civil thus far in this issue, but the two of you _refuse_ to see my side!”  
Gaster pointed towards Chara and spoke in frustration, “This _human child_ is part of a species we, as monsters, and boss monsters such as you two, are sustained by! Have the snails poisoned your mind along with failing to provide your necessary nutrition?! Have you not wondered why your son has not yet reached adolescence?!”  
Toriel’s tone turned dark, “How dare you bring Asriel into this!”  
Gaster scoffed, “How dare I?!”  
He raised his tone, “How dare you two fail to fulfill your duty to serve your people! If a substitute is not created and distributed soon, we _all_ only have at most a decade left to live!”  
Asgore shouted, “Enough!”

The room deafened to silence before Asgore spoke again, his tone firm and regal, “You have one week to resign.”  
Gaster’s eyes widened, “You… you would rather-“  
Asgore interrupted him, “Leave our presence before I make the guard remove you.”  
Gaster balled his hand into a fist for a moment before he relaxed. He bowed lightly before Asgore, “Very well, _Your Highness_.”

Gaster disappeared from the throne room in an instant. Asgore slumped himself into the throne and sighed, “That was….”  
Toriel patted Asgore’s hand, “It is alright, Gorey. It was the right thing to do.”  
Asgore rubbed his temples, “Perhaps we do need to see from his perspective.”  
Toriel frowned, “No, he sees a way that would be abhorrent.”  
Asgore lowered his arm, “But is the quickest way to recover our people, but you are right.”  
Toriel kneeled down towards Chara, “Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”  
Chara silently shook their head before Toriel hugged them, “I am relieved you finally trust me enough to call me your mother.”  
Asgore’s gaze turned gentle, but weary, “Did the Royal Guard truly attack you?”  
Chara frowned, “Yes. One of them followed us through Snowdin and attacked us on a path dug into a cliff. He howled, we ran. Asriel then had the idea of switching our coats and sweaters to throw off the scent and we… ran from each other.”  
Toriel covered her mouth, “Asriel is still out there?!”  
Asgore shook his head lightly, “Nonsense, the guard most likely have realized their mistake by now and are probably returning him as we speak.”  
“We will have to say something on this matter, they know the guard only howls when they spot a human. Word will spread faster than that rumor.”  
“…We will say that it is still being decided. That should give us some time.”  
Toriel nodded, “That will work for now, but we must find a more permanent solution.”  
Toriel extended her hand to Chara, “Come, Chara, let me walk you home.”  
Chara nodded before they smiled and took Toriel’s hand. She smiled and led Chara home peacefully.

——————————————————————————————-

“I told you so.” Sans chuckled in Gaster’s office, cut short by a glare from Gaster. Gaster stood from his desk, “It appears I have no other choice. You were right; the only way is to take the human.”  
Sans frowned, “So, what are you going to do?”  
Gaster smirked, “We are going to wait until the human is away from both the fools on the throne and their preferred means of escape.”  
Sans raised and ‘eyebrow’, “Whatdya mean ‘we’?”  
“I need you for this plan, and I will not take no for an answer.”  
Sans grumbled, “Fine.”  
Gaster chuckled, “Good. Soon, this will all turn out for the better, and no one will stop me from saving our dying race. Not even the royal family.”


	34. Of Steel and Bone

Asriel was returned to the castle within a few hours, along with a report of the incident. Asriel and Chara decided the lay low for a day in response to the events of the day. They primarily decided to play with the camcorder. Asriel giggled, “Okay, Chara, are you ready?”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “For what?”  
Asriel beamed with the camcorder in hand, “Do your creepy face!”  
Chara hesitated but shrugged before they gave a wide, menacing smile with their eyes locked onto Asriel. Asriel screamed with cheer, “Ahhhh!! Hee hee hee!”  
He then took a look at the camcorder and moaned, “Oh! Wait! I had the lens cap on!”  
Chara smirked then shrugged, “Then it is lost forever.”  
Asriel blinked, “What?! You’re not gonna do it again?”  
Chara made the face again, which made Asriel jump and giggle, “Come on, quit tricking me! Haha!”

Chara sighed with a smile, “I…”  
Asriel put the camcorder down, “Hmm? What’s wrong, Chara?”  
Chara relaxed, “I feel cooped up; I want to go out tomorrow.”  
Asriel shuffled his fingers nervously, “But… shouldn’t we stay here a few more days? I mean…. A lot of monsters now know you’re here.”  
“They know I am here at the castle, so they will not suspect me to be anywhere else.”  
Asriel mused, “I… guess that makes sense. Okay. Um… so, where did you want to go?”  
Chara mused in silence for a few seconds, “We should try Snowdin once more.”  
Asriel panicked slightly, “What?! Bu-but we were found right away last time!”  
“We went through the center of town, there must be other ways.”  
Asriel thought for a moment before he spoke, “I… I think there are a few other ways through town, and by the riverside.”  
“We will use the riverside.” 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Riverperson’s boat stopped once more at Snowdin, Asriel and Chara had not wasted any time in donning their coats and scarves on Riverperson’s boat. Chara and Asriel were quick to step off the boat, but not before they thanked Riverperson for the ride. Riverperson nodded, “Tra la la, I do hope to see you two again.”  
Asriel chuckled nervously, “Yeah… we had some… trouble two days ago.”  
Chara nodded, “We would rather leave it at that. We must be going.”  
Riverperson turned forward, “Understood, I shall not pry. Until next time, Chara, little Asriel.”  
The Riverperson’s boat gently began to float down the river until it disappeared. Asriel smiled, “Come on, I think it’s this way. Just before town.”  
Chara pulled up their hood before they followed in silence. In mere minutes they found the path Asriel referred to: a small, dirt path with weeds and slight overgrowth. Asriel began to walk the path, “I guess they forgot about this path, I don’t remember this many plants here.”  
Chara followed suit, “It will be better for us.”  
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”  
The two continued down the path until they found a clearing, one that they were familiar with. They saw the path that led down the cliff and the town to their left. In front of them was a long bridge, which hung above a great chasm to below. Asriel paused, “I don’t see anyone.”  
Chara nodded, “Then let us go. Quickly.”  
Asriel smiled as the two exited the path, “I’m glad; I’ll finally be able to show you how good I am at making snow monsters!”

The two ran along the new path of bridges and puzzles they had seen before. Before they could arrive at their destination, Chara stopped. They widened their eyes before they pulled Asriel behind a nearby tree. Asriel yelped, “Chara? Wha-“  
Chara shushed Asriel, “He’s here.”  
Asriel raised an eyebrow, “Who?”  
His eyes then widened, “Y-you don’t mean-?!”  
Chara covered Asriel’s mouth and whispered, “He will hear us.”  
Chara peaked from around the tree to see Gaster turn his gaze towards the tree. His gaze locked onto Chara before he smirked, “There you are.”  
Chara gasped and drew their blade as Gaster disappeared before their eyes. They put their back against the tree and darted their eyes around the area. They were quick to speak, “Asriel, call Mother.”  
Asriel pulled the backpack from his back and grabbed the phone. Before he could dial a single digit, another figure appeared next to Asriel. This was another skeleton, just taller than Chara. He grabbed Asriel by the arm, and the two disappeared. Chara gasped and cried out, “Asriel?!”  
They looked around and moved away from the tree. Their eyes widened each second as they turned around in an aimless attempt to spot Asriel. They shrieked, “ASRIEL!”  
They heard a voice behind them, “This could have been so simple.”  
Chara gasped before they turned and jumped back. They raised their knife in a defensive position. They kept their stance low, ready to move at a second’s notice. Gaster stood mere feet from Chara, an unamused frown across his face as he continued, “Such a shame; none of this would ever have happened if the king and queen had listened to me.”  
He chuckled darkly, “The arraignment could have been beneficial for all, even for you.”  
He scowled, “But you. You clouded their judgment, hiding behind them, pretending to cower. I see your true nature.”  
Chara tightened their grip on their blade; they hissed their words slowly, “Where is Asriel?”  
“Safe, for now.” Gaster began to approach Chara. Chara hissed and waved their knife towards him once, “Stay. Back!”  
Gaster stopped and smirked, “Do you honestly believe you could defeat me?”  
Chara pointed their knife towards Gaster with naught but a focused glare. Gaster closed his eyes and chuckled lightly, “Very well, I will indulge your fantasy.”  
He opened his eyes, they began to burn brightly, each eye equal in their radiance, “I will show you how weak you truly are!”

Chara charged towards Gaster with their blade ready to strike. Before they took ten steps, a wall of bones blocked their path. They gasped and stepped back, the bones a mere inch from their form. They felt their shoulders grasped from behind. They gasped before they swung their blade in a 180-degree spin. The two hands fell to the ground and shattered to nothingness. The bone wall dispersed to reveal Gaster. His left arm rose, and Chara rose with it. Chara growled before they threw their knife towards Gaster. Gaster instantly disappeared long before the blade could reach him. It embedded itself into a tree as Chara dropped to the ground once again, no longer bound by the magic. They recovered quickly before they dashed towards the tree. Before they could reach it, a wall of bones surrounded the tree. Gaster chuckled, “You are nothing without your weapon.”  
Chara took a deep breath before they punched the wall of bones with all their strength. The bone cracked, but they felt a large pain soar throughout their arm. They gritted their teeth as they decided to kick the bone at the crack. The bone broke in half and shattered to nothingness. Chara sighed in relief and reached with their left arm and managed to grab their knife. Once in their grasp, they felt themselves thrown to the base of another tree. Snow fell on top of Chara but did not fully obscure them. They looked down at their right hand. They breathed inward with their teeth closed, a slight hiss sounded. A small wound was opened on their hand. They heard Gaster sigh, “Now look what you have done, such a waste.”  
Chara stood before they charged Gaster again, this time the bones obscured their path, new ones jutted out of the ground at random. Chara dodged between them but also sliced a few that were directly in their way. When they were inches from Gaster, they let loose a war cry before they felt themselves stopped and thrown back with magic. They were thrown into a snow bank. They let out an annoyed grunt before they stood. They started to pant as they shot a glare at Gaster. He narrowed his eyes, Chara’s contempt mirrored in his gaze, “You cannot win. You cannot even graze me with that knife.”  
Chara growled low, “Shut up.”  
Gaster continued, “You cannot even reach me. It is more than obvious you cannot defeat me.”  
Chara growl grew slightly, “Shut up.”  
“Surrender, and I will ensure the prince returns home safely.”  
Chara’s eyes shot open before they roared, “SHUT UP!”

They charged Gaster once more but felt themselves unable to move before they took a few steps. Gaster approached them with a dull gaze, despite the glow of his eyes, “I grow tired of this game. You know you cannot win, and yet you still try. Are you truly insane? I would not be surprised if humanity has dulled their instincts with its natural predators imprisoned.”  
Chara’s eyes widened, “Stay away.”  
Gaster smirked, “And what will you do if I approach?”  
Chara began to shake, their voice quieter, more somber, “St-stay away…”  
Gaster soon stood mere inches from Chara. Chara rose further from the ground, now face to face with Gaster. Gaster continued his smirk and spoke simply, “You are _mine_.”

Chara screamed before they closed their eyes. In that instant, they used all of their determination and force to move their left arm. They raised their arm high before swung their blade down towards Gaster’s head. Chara’s knife broke into Gaster’s skull to his right eye socket where it became embedded. Gaster howled in agony, his arms clamored to his head to remove the blade. With it, Chara was tossed behind him into a nearby tree headfirst. Chara fell onto the ground, unconscious in an instant. Gaster breathed heavily and shook slightly as he attempted to remove the blade. Each time he touched it, pain shot throughout his skull. After two attempts, he gritted his teeth and firmly grasped the knife with both hands. He removed it in one motion, he howled in pain once again in a short burst as the dust-coated blade clattered into the snow. He stood there; instinctually he kept his right eye closed, unsure if he would ever open it properly again. He took a hand to it and felt a new scar trenched into his skull from the top to his eye socket. Thankfully, it was only embedded into the front of his skull. Upon this realization, he sighed and turned toward the unconscious Chara. He frowned before he silently grabbed Chara by their coat and held them by it. He stood there a moment, a glare locked onto the unconscious human. He composed himself with a deep sigh before he teleported away from the snow-coated forest.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Asriel appeared in a dark cave, blue gems scattered throughout the walls. He knew this was Waterfall, but did not know where. His thoughts were interrupted; his phone was ripped from his hands, “I’ll take that.”  
Asriel gasped, his gaze turned towards the voice. In the low light he saw a skeleton just taller than him with a wide, sharp smile. He wore a lab coat and pink slippers and held Asriel’s phone far away from him. Asriel vaguely recognized the skeleton as Gaster’s assistant; Sans. Asriel raised his hands towards the phone and pushed into the skeleton, “Hey! Give it back!”  
Sans pushed Asriel away from him, he held Asriel at bay with one hand, “Nah.”  
Asriel puffed his cheeks and whined, “It’s mine!”  
Sans rolled his eye sockets, “I know.”  
“So give it back!”  
Sans mused for a few seconds, “Nah.”  
Tears started to peek from Asriel’s eyes, “Please! I have to help Chara!”  
Sans frowned, “Why? They’re just food.”  
Asriel shook his head, “No they’re not! They’re my best friend! I don’t want them to get hurt! I don’t want them to suffer from-whoa!”

Asriel felt himself float up suddenly before he was slammed into a nearby wall. He fell to the floor and gasped, winded from the wall. Sans approached and growled, “The fuck do you know about _suffering_?!”  
Asriel whimpered with his eyes closed before Sans continued, his single blue eye aglow, “What the fuck does some brat that’s been in his little castle eating snails his whole life know about suffering?!”  
Asriel peeked one eye open before he spoke, “I… I just-“  
“SHUT UP, YOU LITTLE BRAT!”  
Asriel felt as though they were pushed into the wall, tears dripped from his eyes as he heard a strange sound. He opened his eyes again to see his phone was crushed in the palm of Sans’ bony hand. Sans scowled at the phone for a moment before he threw it to the side. He returned his gaze to Asriel before he continued, “You think you know what suffering is? _You couldn’t even imagine what it fucking is_.”  
Asriel cried, “Please… let me go!”  
“No, you’re gonna stay here until the human’s in the lab.” Sans then mumbled, “Which should have happened by now.”  
Asriel sniffled before he spoke, “I… I’m not gonna let you take them!”  
Sans snorted and released his magic, he glared down at Asriel with empty eye sockets and a wide, wicked grin, “And what’s a brat like you gonna do about it?”  
Asriel’s hands lit up with flames, he lobbed them at Sans. Sans teleported away, the flames hit the wall behind where he was. Asriel smiled before he stood. He turned to run but he felt himself slammed against the wall again. He heard Sans behind him, “I’m not playing with you, brat.”

Suddenly, a cage of bones surrounded Asriel. Sans gave a low growl, “You’re lucky I’m not allowed to kill you.”  
Asriel went to hit one but pulled away soon after he hit one. He found his fur cut and his skin bruised. He summoned a flame and threw it at the corner of the cage. To his dismay, the flame evaporated with barely any damage to the bone. Asriel cried out, “Let me out!”  
Sans glared at Asriel, “Not gonna happen.”  
Asriel huffed before he started to lob flames at the bones again. One by one, he aimed at the same spot, but to little avail. He kept this up for a while; his pace slowed over time. He panted and fell to his knees, slightly dizzy. Sans chuckled, “I knew you were weak, but that was pathetic.”  
Asriel looked up to see the bone barely had any char on it. He tried to stand but continued to feel dizzy. He heard a loud gurgle from his stomach, his eyes widened in shock. He sat down before he dug into the backpack and dug out a container of snail pie. Sans frowned, “That’s not gonna help you.”  
Asriel huffed, “It does.”  
Sans shrugged and smirked, “Keep telling yourself that.”

Asriel turned away from Sans as he began to eat slowly, a frown the whole way. Sans smirked, “It’s a struggle, isn’t it?”  
Asriel pouted, “No, shut it.”  
“Not like their blood, huh?”  
Asriel turned sharply, “I-I didn’t bite them!”  
“You still had some.” Sans scoffed and frowned, “How does some brat like you get to have a taste of the first human to fall down here while the rest of us starve?”  
Sans glared with a smirk, “Oh wait; you keep it for yourself.”  
Asriel vigorously shook their head and balled their hands into fists, “No! I’m never gonna bite them! I’m never gonna taste their blood ever again!”  
Sans returned to a frown, “Then you’re just wasting it. Humans are food. Period.”  
“No, they're not!”  
Sans’s grin returned, “Then why is your mouth watering?”  
Asriel put a hand to his mouth to find drool budded. He whipped it away and shook his head, “Th-that’s from the snails!”  
“Then finish eating.”  
Asriel pouted, “I plan to!”  
Asriel stuck out his tongue before he sat back down and mumbled, “Stupid smiley trash bag.”

Asriel continued but slowed as he went on. His hands began to shake before he shoved the rest into his mouth. He gagged for a second before he finally swallowed. Sans snickered, “You’re starting to reject the waste of space.”  
Asriel covered his ears and closed his eyes, “N-No I’m not! I’m not listening to you-”  
Asriel’s eyes shot open, his hands went to his mouth. He leaned forward on his hands and knees and began to retch. He tried to cover his mouth, tears streamed as he desperately tried to keep himself from vomiting. He only lasted a few seconds before he expelled his meal. He breathed heavily, tears dripped into the bile he expelled. He began to weep, “No… Why is this happening?!”  
Sans frowned, aggravated, “Do I have to spell everything out for you? Your body is rejecting the snails; it wants human meat.”  
Asriel sobbed, “No! I won’t do it! You can’t make me!”  
“It’s not me that’s gonna make you do it.”

Asriel sobbed in the silence of the cave before he heard a strange sound. Sans spoke dryly, “Finally, what took you-“  
His ‘eyebrow’ raised and his eyes widened slightly, “What the hell happened?”  
Asriel turned his gaze towards Sans to see Gaster next to him. He held Chara by their coat, unconscious. Gaster spoke in annoyance, his other hand to the right side of his face, “A miscalculation.”  
Asriel gasped upon seeing Chara, “Chara!”  
He tried to reach through the bones, but could only pound on them. He cried out, “Let them go!”  
Gaster shot a glance towards Asriel, “I will ask later,”  
He turned his gaze back to Sans, “Knock him unconscious.”  
Sans smirked, “Gladly.”  
The cage of bones disappeared. Before Asriel could take a single step, he felt a blunt force on the back of his head. He tumbled forward and groaned, his eyes barely kept open. Gaster frowned before he turned to Sans, “We won’t have much time. Let’s go.”  
The two teleported away with Chara in tow before Asriel’s blurred vision. Asriel weakly reached an arm out to where Chara was, “Cha….ra….”  
He fell unconscious with a long breath; one last tear fell from his eye as it ended.


	35. End of Discussion

Chara struggled to open their eyes. They felt weak, they didn’t want to move, and they also had a pounding headache. They groaned as attempted to move their arms, but felt they couldn’t. With their eyes half open, they could see restraints on their arms. They could see some on their legs as well as feel one on their head. Their eyes shot open; they started to panic. They could barely move, their body felt heavy. They started to breathe heavily. Despite their vision still blurred, they saw a familiar figure approach on their left side. They heard him speak in a dry tone, “I’m surprised you’ve awoken.”  
Chara tried to speak his name but found they had little strength to speak, “Ga…sst…”  
They groaned as their words faded from their lips, trying to stay awake. They heard a shush sound from him, “Sleep, you will need it.”  
Chara tried to speak once more in defiance, but couldn’t manage to speak. Small noises came from them, but no words formed. They turned their gaze, and in their blurred gaze, they saw a long line of red come from their arm travel down to a blob of red on a small table next to them. They failed to comprehend the rest of their surroundings before they fell into unconsciousness once more.

——————————————————————————————-

Asriel awoke with a groan; his right hand immediately went to the back of his head. He lay still for a few seconds before he fully awoke. He gasped, his eyes shot open in realization, “Chara!”  
He stumbled to his feet before he took in his surroundings. He was quick to notice his broken phone. He approached it with a moan, “I gotta get back to tell mom and dad!”  
He took off in a random direction, “Hang on, Chara! We’ll save you!”  
He kept his pace as he slowly found out where in Waterfall he was. He found out he was near Temmie Village and found his way to the river from there. He rang the bell until he saw Riverperson arrive. Riverperson’s head crooked, “Tra la la; my, this is strange. Weren’t you with Chara in Snowdin, little Asriel?”  
Asriel climbed onto the boat and nearly collapsed. He panted heavily in-between his words, “Chara… taken…. Hotland…. Please…. Hurry.”  
Riverperson turned forward, “Then to Hotland we go.”

The boat began to move as Riverperson spoke again, this time their voice deepened, “Was it the man who speaks in hands?”  
Asriel nodded, “…Yeah.”  
The boat began to move faster, Asriel raised an eyebrow, “…Riverperson?”  
He saw their cloak flutter, but still not reveal what lies underneath. The boat stopped at the Hotland dock in half the time it normally took. Asriel stood, “Th-thank you, Riverperson.”  
Riverperson nodded, “I may not be able to help you off the river, but this I can do.”  
Asriel stepped off the boat, “Thanks! I’ll be sure to lob a fireball at him for you!”  
Riverperson chuckled, “That is sweet. But unnecessary. I hope to see you again, with your friend.”  
Asriel nodded, “I will! See you later, Riverperson!”

With that, Asriel ran the rest of the way home. When he reached home, he opened the door and shouted, “Mom!? Dad?!”  
Toriel stood from her chair and spoke in worry, “Asriel? What is wro-“  
She paused as she approached Asriel, “Where is Chara?!”  
Asriel collapsed to the floor and wept, “Mr. Gaster took them!”  
Toriel’s expression turned to rage immediately, “How dare he.”  
She turned down the hallway and shouted, “Gorey! Get out here now!”  
Asgore rushed out the door, still in his armor, but his cape no longer attached. He rushed down the hall in panic, “What is wrong?!”  
Toriel’s expression continued to be one of anger, “Chara has been taken and we are leaving to rescue them. Now.”  
Asgore frown but nodded, “Yes.”  
Toriel scooped up Asriel, “Tell us everything.”

Asgore and Toriel began to jog their way through the Underground. Asriel wept through his words, “He found us… in Snowdin Forest. We just wanted to play in the nice clearing in the forest. Chara noticed him first. I-I tried to call you, but his assistant… he came and took me away… and took my phone.”  
Asriel hesitated to continue, but Toriel comforted him, “It is alright, Asriel. We will rescue Chara, and those two will be imprisoned.”  
Asgore nodded, “I should have prevented this… I could have prevented this.”  
Toriel frowned as she turned her gaze towards her husband, “We both could have prevented this, but now is not the time to look towards the past.”  
Asgore nodded, “You are right, now is the time to rescue our child.”  
Asriel sniffled and whipped tears from his eyes as the three entered the last elevator, “Mom… dad…I…”  
Toriel patted Asriel’s head, “Shh, it is alright, Asriel. We are almost there.”  
Asriel shook his head, “No… I… I tried to eat the snails… and…”  
Asgore raised a brow, “And?…”  
Asriel sniffled, “I… threw them up…. I could barely eat them. Mr. Gaster’s assistant said… my body was rejecting them.”  
Toriel continued to comfort Asriel, “Do not listen to him. It… it was a few days old. It was probably bad by now.”  
Asriel nodded, “I hope you’re right. I don’t wanna hurt Chara.”

———————————————————————————

Gaster sat in a familiar room; the one he had brought Asriel and Chara to some time ago. He had finished packing the first pint of blood extracted from Chara into a little blood bag. He turned his gaze to the other one, still attached to Chara. Half full. He turned his gaze towards Chara on the table and frowned. He had managed to keep his damaged eye half open, but opening any further than that shot pain through his skull. His thoughts were swiftly interrupted by a sound. Sans teleported into the room, “They’re on their way.”  
Gaster stood and sighed, “Not even two full pints.”  
Gaster began to unhook Chara from their restraints and removed the needle in their left arm. He turned to Sans, “Leave. I will finish here.”  
Sans frowned, “What are you planning now?”  
Gaster kept his eyes on the tube as it finished emptying blood into the blood bag, “If they deny me to speak once again, I will have to turn to the masses.”  
“Why are you even bothering? They’re not going to listen.”  
“The human is separated from them, perhaps it was the reason they refused to listen.”  
“Whatever.”  
“I would suggest you prepare for the more likely outcome. If you want Papyrus to live.”  
Sans’ eye lit up, “We had a deal. I work, and you don-“  
Gaster interrupted, “I am not threatening him. I am suggesting you take him out of New Home. With the castle, that place will become a battleground. You do want him to be safe, correct?”  
Sans’ eyes returned to normal, “Right.”  
“Now leave before the smell of blood gets to you.”  
Sans smirked, “Not my fault they're my favorite.”  
Sans teleported away, Gaster made sure both blood bags were secure before he put them into a small box. He then teleported to a dark room; the only thing that could be seen was a small safe. He reached into his coat to find the key. He quickly unlocked it and placed the box within the safe before he locked it once again. He put the key in his pocket before he teleported into the room with the monitoring system. He fiddled with the machine until the screens turned onto the lab. He sighed, “They’re here.”  
He teleported out of the room.

————————————————————————————–

Asgore and Toriel rushed through the doors of the laboratory. A few assistants jumped at the sudden noise and murmured in surprise. Alphys approached Toriel and Asgore, “K-king Asgore… Queen Toriel! Wh-what’s going on?!”  
Toriel spoke first, “Where is Dr. Gaster?!”  
Alphys shrunk down slightly, “I-in the lower lab. He’s been there for hours.”  
Asgore frowned, “Show us.”  
Alphys motioned to an elevator, “This way.”  
They followed Alphys into the elevator. Once the doors closed, Torel spoke, “Are you sure he has been down here for hours? Has anyone other than his assistant been with him?”  
Alphys shook her head, “N-no. Dr. Gaster asked to be left alone… and… I haven’t seen Sans all day.”  
Toriel and Asgore shared a gaze before the elevator doors opened. Alphys began to walk, “His office is down here. We can start there.”  
Asgore followed, Toriel by his side before they heard a voice, “That will not be necessary,”

Toriel and Asgore’s eyes widened before they charged around the next corner. They saw Gaster stand in the middle of the hall, a few feet away from them. Toriel roared, “Where is our child?!”  
Alphys shrunk behind the corner. Gaster motioned towards Toriel, “He is in your arms, Your Highness.”  
Asgore growled, “Do not toy with us! You know whom we refer to! Where is Chara?!”  
Gaster frowned, his tone calm but slightly somber, “Please, understand; I did what I had to. You assigned me the task of saving our race from extinction. We do not have time to find another way. Nor do we have time to wait for another human to fall. This human is our only tool to survival in this prison!”  
Asriel spoke up, “Chara’s not a tool! They’re my best friend! They deserve to live too!”  
Gaster turned his gaze to Asriel, annoyance slowly seeped into his voice, “And yet again you all ignore everything I have said.”  
He spoke slowly, “I never needed to _kill_ the human!”  
Asgore roared, “Then why did you kidnap our child?!”  
Gaster gritted his teeth, but before he could speak, Toriel gently set Asriel down and spoke, “I do not care _why_ you stole our child from us.”  
Her hands lit up with flames, “I will take them back.”  
Toriel threw two fireballs at Gaster; Gaster’s eyes glowed in response. Before the flames could reach him, a wall of bones manifested in front of him. A few of the bones cracked slightly, but they shielded him nonetheless. Gaster smirked as the bone wall dissipated, “You would jump to the human’s level and harm me?”  
Toriel’s eyes widened, “Chara…. Gave you that scar?”  
Gaster touched his skull, next to his new scar, “Indeed.”  
Gaster put his left hand behind his back and his right hand to his chest, “I will ask you two one last time. Allow me to keep the human, and I will ensure that our people will survive in this prison. If you take them, we will all die down here.”

For a solid thirty seconds, nothing but the hum of the lights and the crackle of Toriel’s flames could be heard. Toriel and Asgore thought it over in silence, while Asriel switched his gaze between his parents with worry. Finally, Asgore spoke with a sigh and a sorrowful frown, “I am…. Truly sorry. We cannot allow this. Whether you agree with it or not, Chara is part of our family. We must protect our family.”  
Toriel nodded before she lobbed another fireball at Gaster. Instead of the bone wall, Gaster teleported out of sight of the Dreemurrs. Toriel dissipated her flames and stepped forward, “Hurry! Before he takes Chara away again!”  
Asgore went to scoop up Asriel, but he stood and spoke, “I’m okay; let’s go rescue Chara!”  
The three ran deeper into the lab; they each opened any door they came across. It wasn’t until they were near the furthest depths of the lab that they found Chara. Asgore opened a door and called out, “In here!”  
The three entered the room to see Chara unconscious on a table, freed from their restraints. Toriel covered her nose as soon as she noticed a small trail of blood flow from their arm, “He has been extracting their blood.”  
Asriel entered the room and gasped, “This is the room Mr. Gaster took us to a while ago!”  
Asgore went to the desk within the room, “There must be something here we can use to bandage the wound.”  
Asriel covered his nose as well, his gaze focused on Chara, “Chara…”  
Asgore smiled as he dug out some medical tape, “This will do until we return home.”  
Toriel nodded as she took the tape. She began to wind it around Chara’s elbow several times. When satisfied, she cut the tape with a claw. She then hugged Chara while their unconscious body sat on the table, “Oh, Chara…”  
Asgore put a hand to Toriel’s shoulder, “We must return to the castle. Chara needs to rest.”  
Toriel cradled Chara in her arms, “Yes, and we must send the Royal Guard after Gaster and his assistant.”

——————————————————————————————-

Gaster sighed after he teleported away from the Dreemurr family, “I have no other choice now…”  
He then teleported to New Home. There was a large gathering of monsters in the town square; one shouted at the single royal guard there, “Of course we want answers! If there’s a human down here, that means we can finally eat!”  
The guard became nervous, “I… I haven’t seen it. I just know it’s here, but I don’t know where. L-like I said, you’ll have to wait until King Asgore or Queen Toriel say something about it.”  
Another growled, “It’s been two days since the guard howled in Snowdin! How long do we have to wait?!”  
The guard gulped, “I… I don’t…”  
One monster noticed Gaster and pointed him out, their voice cut through the crowd, “Wait! Everyone! it’s Dr. Gaster!”  
Gaster walked over, “Fear not, I am here to deliver the news.”  
Several monsters whispered amongst each other upon Gaster’s approach. The guard sighed in relief, “Finally! I’ve been asked since morning, yesterday! What’s going on here?! Where’s the human?!”  
The crowd filed in around the Royal Scientist, each clamored for answers. Gaster turned towards most of the crowd before he cleared his throat and raised his voice, “If I may have your attention!”

The crowd’s murmurs went silent, the eyes of the square focused on the Royal Scientist. Some of the monsters that were at his feet took a few steps back. Gaster frowned as he addressed the crowd, “Despite the fact the Royal Guard howled only two days ago, in truth, the human has been in our midst for over a month.”  
Murmurs resumed, this time in confusion before Gaster continued, “The reason the human has not been found was because the ones responsible for hiding it are none other than the Dreemurr family!”  
The murmurs increased before the guard’s voice cut through the murmurs, “Hey! Quiet so he can speak!”  
The murmurs quieted enough for Gaster to speak. He turned his head downwards and closed his eyes, his tone one of disappointment, “Since I discovered the human, I have tried many times to convince the Dreemurr family to allow me to use the human to develop a substitute.”  
He turned his gaze back to the crowd with a furrowed brow and heavy frown, “ _But they refused!_ ”  
Gasps came from the crowd; some began to cry as Gaster continued his speech, “I negotiated. I insisted that killing the human would be a waste. Yet each time I presented them with logic, they ignored it! All because the human is a child, they refused to see reason! They have turned their back on their duty. Not even to eat the human, but to keep it as a pet!”  
The crowd booed the sentiment. Gaster nodded, “It is as though they have forgotten what they need to survive, their view corrupted by the human child.”  
He smirked, “There is only one solution to this problem.”  
He extended his arms to the crowd, “If they refuse to listen to reason, then our only choice is to respond with how they last responded to me!”  
He motioned to his new scar, “This scar was given to me by the human, and Queen Toriel attempted to burn me to cinders.”  
He held his right hand behind his back with his left to his chest, “I can no longer stand idly by while monsterkind starves. The time for words has passed!"  
The crowd cheered, Gaster smirked and put his fingers into a steeple, “It is time to remind our _royal family_ what it truly means to be a monster.”


	36. Turmoil

Chara groaned before they opened their eyes. A dim, red light surrounded them. They gasped before they sat up. Once they did, they felt dizzy and grumbled as they rubbed their eyes. They heard a gasp to their left. The voice spoke through tears, “Chara!”  
Chara turned their head to see Asriel charge towards them. Chara hesitated before Asriel hugged them tightly and sobbed, “Thank goodness!”  
Chara, still groggy, spoke in confusion, “What… happened?”  
Asriel let go and attempted to wipe away his tears, “M-Mr. Gaster took you and he took a lot of your blood! You’ve been asleep for a whole day!”  
He wept through his words, “We were so scared you wouldn’t wake up.”  
“Where are Mother and Father?”  
Asriel froze for a second, Chara had to call their attention before Asriel pulled away and shuffled with his fingers, “Um…. They’re okay… but… um…”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “What happened?”  
Asriel lowered his gaze, “I… I don’t wanna talk about it.”  
Chara glared at Asriel, they stressed their words, “What. Happened?”  
Asriel whined, “The whole underground is attacking us…”  
Chara sat for a moment before they spoke, “How?!”  
“From what mom and dad told me, Mr. Gaster went to New Home when we rescued you and told everybody that we kept you hidden. Everyone’s mad at us!”  
Chara mused dryly, “You are technically hoarding the only food in the underground.”  
“But you’re not food!” Asriel sat, curled into a ball next to the bed and held his locket, “Not… to me.”

The two heard loud growls of a monster through the closed door. Asriel shot up and panicked, “Oh no! They’re back again!”  
He ran to the door, “I gotta go help! Stay here!”  
Chara nodded before they stood from their bed, “I can help-“  
Immediately Chara held their head, still dizzy. They sat back down on the bed as they saw Asriel slam the door behind them. Chara head Asriel let loose a battle cry before fire roared to life and a monster screamed. Chara sat for a minute to fully wake, all they could hear were distant cries from many different monsters: “You traitors!” “Stop hoarding it!” “Give the human to Dr. Gaster!” “You’ll be dust for this!”  
Chara finally stood, their gaze swept the room. No weapons to be found. They bit their lip; this would be difficult. They went to the door and opened it a crack. They saw Asriel in front of the stairs, chucking fireballs out the door, which was now on the floor. He constantly turned his head down the stairs, only for a moment before he continued. Constant noises of thrashes, fire, gnawing, and continued accusations echoed from both the door and the stairs. Chara smirked before they dashed out the door and passed Asriel, ducking under his fire. Asriel saw Chara and panicked, distracted from the battle, “Chara?!”

Chara ignored him and ran to the kitchen. They eyed the shelf where the knives were kept and climbed on top of the kitchen counter. They heard wood break in the main hallway, and Toriel call Asriel’s name in panic. They reached the top shelf and grabbed the first knife they could get their hands on; one shorter and thinner than the knife they’d become accustomed to. They then heard fire roar to life just inside the living room, and a monster screeched as it was hit. Chara jumped down from the counter and stood against the wall. They inched to the kitchen’s entrance, their knife closer to the door. They peaked out to see Asriel and Toriel fight two monsters in the living room; a cat-like monster and a large froggit. The cat monster, while on top of the table, immediately noticed Chara as they peeked out from the kitchen. Its eyes locked onto Chara before it turned and pounced. Chara stood ready to fight it, their knife brandished in front of them and a determined expression. Before the cat could land, a large fireball knocked it into the far wall. It landed on the floor with a thud before it groaned and dispersed into dust. Toriel huffed before she turned to the froggit that Asriel had been distracting. Said froggit noticed Chara soon after. Its gaze locked onto the human before its long tongue shot from its mouth towards Chara. Before anyone could react, it reached Chara. The froggit’s spit stuck to Chara’s sweater upon impact. Chara barely had time to scream before the frog’s tongue snapped back to its mouth like a bungee cord, Chara in tow. Its eyes pressed into its head, swallowing Chara whole. Toriel cried out in panic, “Chara! No!”  
The froggit turned to leave before it hunched over and whined. Asriel and Toriel quickly took action and began to attack the froggit. The froggit screeched in pain as they attacked, but bellowed over and clawed at its belly. It cried out before a knife pierced its hide from inside. It cried out as the knife continued to make a hole within the froggit’s belly. Before the hole could be made complete, the froggit screeched in pain and dispersed into dust. Chara landed on the floor coated in bile and leftover stomach acid. They gasped for air before they coughed, their knife still in their clutches. Asriel and Toriel dashed to Chara’s side. Toriel spoke, “Asriel, take Chara back to your room and help them get out of those clothes.”  
Chara coughed, “I can stil-“  
Toriel interrupted with a stern voice, “No, Chara. We will discuss this later. Stay in that room. Both of you.”  
Asriel nodded, “Okay, mom.”

Asriel helped Chara up, before he cringed slightly at Chara’s liquid coating, “Ewww.”  
Chara said nothing as they watched Toriel dash out the door. More sounds of fighting ensued from beyond the door as Chara and Asriel passed by. The staircase railing was now broken, but only a few bars. The two went into their room before Asriel locked the door. He sighed in relief, “That was really scary. That froggit ate you!”  
Chara went to the drawers, “Keep an eye on the door. Do not look.”  
Asriel turned his gaze towards the door and whined, “Chara, I’m serious! You can’t do that!”  
Chara mused as they undressed, “I cannot help?”  
Asriel blushed and stumbled over his words, “Well- I mean…. I-I guess so…”  
He shook his head, his voice firm, “But, you saw what just happened!”  
He curled in on himself before he started to sob, “Mom and dad have held them off all night; they won’t stop. We’d be dead by now if the Royal Guard turned against us.”  
“The Royal Guard is still protecting you?”  
“Not… a lot of them. Only a bunch of them, I don’t know how many.”  
Asriel sobbed further, “Why is this happening?”  
Chara chose to stay silent until they were fully clothed again. They approached Asriel, but before they could say anything, Asriel latched onto them and sobbed into their chest. He spoke through his sobs, “I’m scared, Chara. Aren’t you?”  
Chara sighed, “You crybaby.”  
Asriel continued to cry as Chara slowly reciprocated the hug. They bit their lip but stood firm with their fists tight. They sighed; they refused to cry.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few minutes went by before Toriel gently knocked on the door to Asriel and Chara’s room, “Asriel, Chara? May I come in? It is alright now. The guards have it handled for now.”  
Asriel opened the door before Toriel slipped in and closed the door behind her. Chara could now clearly see her fur was disheveled, some of her clothes were in tatters, and bags swelled under her eyes. She turned her gaze to Chara immediately with worry, “Did it hurt you? Where are the clothes you were wearing?”  
Chara spoke calmly, “Asriel already took care of them-”  
Toriel swept Chara into her arms before she began to sob, “Please, my child, do not be so rash again. We almost lost you.”  
Chara spoke calmly, “I grabbed a knife. I am okay.”  
Toriel loosened her hug, “And what if next time the knife escapes your grasp?! What then, Chara?!”  
Chara reeled back slightly before they frowned and closed in on themselves lightly. Toriel sighed and wiped her tears, “I am sorry, I should not take the stress of this situation out on you. But please, for your own safety, you cannot step outside this room.”  
Chara complained, “But I can-“  
“This is not negotiable, Chara! You nearly died today, and next time the monster might kill you _before_ it decides to eat you.” She kneeled down, her voice more somber, “Please, let us protect you.”

Chara was silent for a few seconds before they spoke, “Tell me what is happening.”  
Toriel nodded and relaxed both in voice and posture, “After we rescued you, monsters started to attack us when we entered the path home from the Core. Some of the Royal Guard helped us and told us that instead of taking you, Gaster went to New Home and spoke of us as traitors to the people. He told them we hid you, and that we refused to give you to him. They… did not appreciate this. A small sect of the guard did not believe his words, and they still help us.”  
“How many?”  
Toriel frowned, “At most…. Twelve, but most of them are occupied at the castle to prevent monsters from coming up the stairs. We only have three helping us over here.”  
Asriel chimed in, “But we disabled the elevator! So only monsters that can climb really well and fly can get to us this way!”  
Chara crossed their arms, “What about Gaster?”  
Toriel shook her head, “I have not seen him since we rescued you,”  
Asriel winced, “Oh no, that’s right! He could teleport here anytime and take you!”  
Chara raised an eyebrow, “Then why hasn’t he done it by now?”  
Toriel mused, “To be honest, none of us knew he could teleport until he teleported into the throne room with you.”  
Chara gave a light smirk, “Maybe he doesn’t want them to know.”  
“That would work to our advantage.” Toriel paused and sighed, “Now that we have time to relax, why don’t I make you something to eat? You must be famished after sleeping for nearly an entire day.”  
Asriel frowned, “I hope dad can join us.”  
Toriel gave a small smile, “I am sure he will.”  
Toriel exited the room, the door closed behind her. Chara walked over to their bed and flopped onto it, “I’m stuck here.”  
Asriel walked over, “We’re… all stuck here.”  
He tried to give a determined gaze, “But…. I’m sure we can make this work! We can still be happy here!”  
His gaze quickly faded, “Mom and dad…. They just need some rest.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Asgore climbed the stairs, his armor slightly scuffed and his cape in tatters. He paused at the sight of the railing partially broken and the door broken, leaned on its frame. He called out, “Tori? Is everything alright?”  
She called from the living room, “For now, Gorey.”  
The door to Asriel and Chara’s room creaked open. Asriel popped his head out and beamed, “Dad!”  
Asriel rushed out of the room and hugged Asgore tightly as Toriel stood at the entrance to the living room. Asgore gave a chuckle, “It has only been a day, Asriel.”  
Asriel turned his head up towards Asgore, “But I was so worried about you!”  
Asgore tussled Asriel’s hair, “And I was worried for all of you, but we all survived.”  
He turned his gaze towards Asriel and Chara’s room, “Including you, Chara.”  
Chara peaked from the room, Toriel beckoned them, “It is alright for now, Chara.”  
Chara walked out the door and was slow to approach Asgore with a frown. Asgore kneeled down to them and hugged them. He spoke, “I was worried for you.”  
Chara’s voice cracked slightly, their face hidden, “I’m fine.”  
Asriel huffed, “No, you’re not!”  
Asgore spoke in worry, “What happened?”  
Toriel sighed, “Chara nearly died; they wanted to help us fight, but a froggit mid-way into its transformation swallowed them whole.”  
She covered her mouth, her words cracked, “If Chara hadn’t grabbed that knife….”  
Asgore turned his gaze to Chara in horror, but quickly to relief, “Thank goodness.”  
Toriel frowned, “Gorey! We cannot reward this behavior! The next time could be fatal!”  
Asgore grimaced, “I suppose you are right, but we should at least allow them to keep a weapon with them just in case.”  
Chara nodded with a calm expression, “I could agree with that.”  
Toriel went to interject, but mused, “Well… I suppose that would be agreeable.”  
She frowned, “But not a step outside your room until we say so, understood?”  
Chara nodded silently. Toriel gave a light smile, “Now then, why don’t we eat?”  
Asgore let go of Chara and stood, “I’ll prepare some tea.”  
Chara tapped Asgore’s side before he continued, “Can… we have the one you gave me… my first day here?”  
He smiled, “Of course, Chara.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the middle of New Home, Gaster stood at a station of the Royal Guard; one close to the castle. As much as he desired to work on the substitute, the populous looked to him to command the attack on the palace. He was stuck.  
One of the guards rushed to him, reports in hand, “Sir!”  
Gaster raised a brow as the guard stopped to kneel before him, reports outstretched him his hands, “I have compiled the latest reports as you’ve asked.”  
Gaster took the papers and looked them over with a sigh, “Most of these deaths are civilians, correct?”  
The guard sighed, “Unfortunately, yes. We can’t stop those who want vigilante justice, but we may be able to organize more waves of attacks to sate those who want to volunteer.”  
Gaster continued to read over the reports, “That may not work; the halls of the castle were purposefully built narrow, which gives a chance to make our numbers effectively useless. The number of deaths already reflects this. Additionally, there is always the risk of the human being killed or devoured in these attacks. Especially from civilians who try to climb on the high walkway to the castle.”  
The guard sighed, “Yeah, we can’t guarantee everyone would try to take the human away from them instead of eating it.”  
Gaster gave back the reports, “This will not work. Perhaps we need a different approach. To prevent the death of the human and any more monsters…”  
The guard mused, “Well, we’re pretty much at a stalemate already… we could attempt to use that to our advantage?”  
Gaster smirked, “A house arrest?”  
The guard nodded, “Yes, sir. We wouldn’t be able to enter, and we could spread our forces to ensure they won’t exit and to deter any monster who would try to sneak into the castle.”  
Gaster chuckled darkly, “This may be our best chance. The Dreemurrs will not risk harming the human, and each day they will grow weaker. Go. Set this plan into motion.”  
The guard bowed, barking a “Yes, Sir!” before he ran off.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Asriel waited in his bed until he was sure Chara was asleep. He held his throat lightly, his jaw clamped shut. He had waited long enough. He stepped off his bed before he carefully exited the room. He then held his mouth and rushed to the kitchen. Toriel saw him as he ran past and accompanied him. Asriel leaned over the sink and finally allowed himself to open his jaw. Immediately, his dinner of snails spilled forth into the sink. He coughed as Toriel gently rubbed his back and gingerly shushed, “It is alright. Let it out.”  
Asriel sobbed, “Why does this keep happening? Why can’t I keep it down anymore?”  
He held his stomach with one hand, “It hurts so much!”  
Toriel tried to smile, but could only manage an unnerved one with Asriel’s back turned, “We will find some way to fix this, perhaps-“  
Asriel cried, “Don’t say the snails are bad again!”  
Toriel jumped slightly and lowered her voice, “Asriel, do not wake Chara. You wanted to keep this secret from them.”  
Asriel nodded, “I’m sorry… but it can’t be the snails. You, dad, and Chara would be sick too…”  
They heard steps from the living room; Asgore entered the kitchen with a frown. He said nothing as he hugged Asriel tightly. Asriel replied in kind and sobbed into his chest, “I’m scared. I don’t wanna hurt Chara…”  
Toriel sighed, “If you are afraid of that… we could move them into another room.”  
Asriel pulled away from Asgore, “But… but they can’t be alone! What if Mr. Gaster comes and takes them? We wouldn’t know until we wake up!”  
Toriel sighed, “Asriel, please keep your voice down.”  
Asriel whined, “Sorry…”  
Asgore mused, “He does make a point. We can no longer leave Chara alone. We have no other choice, with this place in constant strife.”  
Toriel’s eyes widened, “This… place… Gorey, you helped me think of a solution!”  
Asgore raised an eyebrow, “What is it?”  
Toriel grimaced, “I’d… hate to suggest this, but if these attacks continue with such ferocity… we might have no choice but to flee.”  
Asriel lowered his head, “But… where would we go?”  
Toriel scratched her head, “Somewhere away from New Home, a place where most of monsterkind is far from.”  
Asgore spoke simply, “You speak of Home?”  
Toriel nodded, “It would be a rough journey, but I am sure we can make it work. I am sure the Riverperson would aid us. And there are plenty of areas to grow a new garden in Home. Many snails may be found there as well….”

A voice echoed from the living room, “And how do we escape here?”  
Toriel gasped, “Chara!”  
Chara entered the kitchen as Asriel whined, “Oh no… how long have you been up?”  
Chara approached, “The entire time. I could hear you from our room.”  
Asriel hugged himself, “I… I didn’t want you to worry about me…”  
Chara crossed their arms, “We will deal with it later, what about escaping this place?”  
Toriel smiled, “I am sure we can escape through the elevator to the Core.”  
Asriel raised an eyebrow, “But, I thought you broke it?”  
Toriel shook her head lightly, “I merely disabled it. I should be able to fix it quickly.”  
Asgore smiled, “It is a wonderful plan, but we will need time to pack a few things.”  
Toriel agreed, “A few days. We will be free of this trouble in a few days.”  
Toriel turned to Asriel and Chara, “Now, off to bed with you two.”


	37. Resolve

Chara tossed and turned in their bed, sweat heavy on their brow and their eyes shut tight as a new dream haunted their sleep. The colors coalesced into a wavering darkness. Dark colors of black, navy, and violet danced around Chara. Chara stood but saw there was no ground to stand on. Confused, they turned their gaze around them. Strange noises emanated from the darkness surrounding them. Familiar, but unable to place them. They then gasped, a figure appeared in the near-distance. Gaster. His eyes were closed, the scar Chara inflicted was missing, and his hands were in a steeple in front of him. He was silent, unmoving. Chara frowned as they drew their knife towards Gaster, ready to fight. Gaster did not react, but the noises in the darkness grew louder. Hands and claws congealed from the darkness around them, reaching for them. Groans, gnashes, and growls accompanied them. Chara gasped as a large one reached for them, but they dodged it just in time. They heard the familiar roar of the monster in Home, despite a strange distortion in the voice, “WHERE ARE YOU?! GET BACK HERE, HUMAN!”  
Chara pointed their knife towards the arm as it swung wildly in search of Chara. They stepped back cautiously until they heard liquid slosh at their feet. They had no time to react when the puddle transformed into a moldbygg. Chara was consumed by the monster, but only for a few moments. A large, muscular hand reached into the moldbygg and pulled Chara out. They saw an aaron had grabbed them but left one hand free. They stabbed the arm that held them, a crack sounded in the distance as the aaron dissipated into dust. Chara whipped their gaze around them until they heard another familiar voice sound, Muffet’s, “Just stand still, dearie!”  
Chara turned in time to slash Muffet’s enlarged hand. The crack sounded once more as Muffet disappeared into dust. Chara then felt their leg wrapped before they fell over with a yelp. They landed on an invisible floor. They turned to see a red tentacle hold their left leg firmly. It dragged them closer to the unmoving form of Gaster. Chara then noticed a crack formed above Gaster’s right eye. They turned their attention to the tentacle and stabbed it. The crack sounded once more. The tentacle dispersed into dust. Chara stood; mere feet from Gaster, his new scar completed. They heard the growls of various monsters surround them. Shadows of hands lunged around the two of them. They were trapped, with him.

A husk, low chuckle emanated. The clearest voice in the darkness. Chara shivered before their gaze turned towards Gaster, the source of the chuckle. His eyes remained closed as he spoke, “Do you honestly believe you could defeat me?”  
Chara roared, “I will never be your tool!”  
Gaster smirked, “Very well, I will indulge your fantasy.”

The shadows around them became more restless, further clawing towards Chara. Chara then saw Gaster’s eyes open, his eyes both equal in their glow. They felt unable to move, they began to panic as the arms clawed their way closer to Chara. Their eyes focused on Gaster as he spoke, “This was a game you could never win.”  
The hands reached Chara, many of them took hold of Chara and began to drag them into the darkness. Chara screamed out, but still unable to move. Gaster kept his gaze on them, giving a satisfied smirk all the while. It was then that Chara felt claws and teeth begin to tear at them. They screamed out once more, not able to see or escape from the pain. The darkness took hold, Gaster faded from sight. The pain encompassed their being before they finally felt their neck snap. Numbness. Darkness. Nothingness.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chara shot awake with a panicked gasp; they continued to shake even as they examined themselves. Nothing but the scars they already knew of. Their breaths slowly evened out before they calmed themselves and took in their surroundings. They sat in their bed, in the Dreemurr’s home. They noticed Asriel was not in the room with them. His bed disheveled, the blankets tossed to the side in a rush. Chara’s eyes widened before they rushed out of bed to the door, their bedsheets nearly mirroring Asriel’s. They pressed an ear to the door and heard more sounds of fighting. They kept a hand on their new knife before they opened the door. The front door was still off its hinges. None of the Dreemurrs were in sight. They heard clashes from beyond the door, clangs of steel and claws. They dashed to the front door and peeked out. They saw their family fight two monsters, and many piles of dust. Three dust piles had armor peeking from them. Asgore held his trident before he stabbed an oncoming monster with it, running it through. The monster gasped before they limped and dispersed into dust before Asgore. One of the monsters panicked, “Fuck this!”  
They began to run away, “They were right to trap you here!”  
Toriel threw a large fireball at the monster, which hit it square in the back. It screamed and fell to the ground before it soon turned to dust. Asgore gave a heavy sigh as he relaxed, “Is everyone alright?”  
Toriel nodded, “I am fine. Asriel?”  
Asriel approached Toriel from a corner near the door, “I’m okay.”  
Asgore turned, “Then let us head- Chara!”  
Their eyes focused on Chara, Toriel frowned as the three began to approach, “Chara. I asked you to stay in your room!”  
Chara sheathed their knife, “I saw the disheveled bed. I thought…”  
They lightly hugged one of their arms with a frown. Toriel sighed before she kneeled and tussled Chara’s hair, “Please, my child, it will only be for a couple of days. Today we will start packing for our trip to Home. We will be safe there.”  
Asriel frowned, “Um… mom? Dad?”  
Asgore raised a brow, “Yes, Asriel?”  
Asriel mused, “What did that last monster mean?”  
Asgore narrowed his eyes and stroked his beard, “I am not sure… but it does sound concerning.”  
He began to walk inside the house, “I will check how the guards in the castle are holding up. Perhaps they will have some answers.”  
Toriel stood with a disheartened gaze, “Do not forget to mention… their loss…”  
Asgore and Toriel focused their gaze on the three piles of dust with armor on them. Asgore nodded, “I would not dare.”

Asgore made his way down the stairs and walked to the castle, a heavy frown upon his face. The walk gave him time to muse over the recent events and regret all of the death that has transpired. Guilt seeped into his expression as he thought about those monsters he had personally slain, and those who had stood by his side turned to dust. His thoughts then turned to those he was not personally responsible for, but by his decision to protect Chara, they were dust. _Was all of this worth it, just to protect a single child?_ He feared the answer was against him, but he knew he would have to live with his decision. No matter what happened, he knew he would regret it.  
“King Asgore!” A voice called him away from his thoughts. His gaze turned to his remaining Royal Guard, now a mere seven monsters, including the latest recruit who had approached him. Asgore composed himself; his expression waned to a calm one before he spoke, “What is the status, Undyne?”  
The new recruit answered nervously, “They’ve… stopped attacking, and it seemed they’re stopping anyone from entering the castle.”  
Asgore raised a brow, “Strange… Are they saying anything?”  
Undyne’s fins drooped, “Yeah, a lot of things.”  
She hesitated, “Sir… Why are we doing this?”  
Asgore hesitated in his response, “To ensure Ch-…the… human is not… wasted.”  
Undyne growled, “Then why aren’t you giving the human to Dr. Gaster?!”

Asgore stepped back in slight shock. He noticed his guards were fatigued and standing by Undyne’s words. He didn’t know how to respond, he fumbled over his words, “I… I just- well…”  
Undyne’s expression grew to disbelief and a slight sorrow, “Please… tell us the truth.”  
Asgore turned his expression downwards as he frowned, silent for a few moments before he responded, “I only wanted to protect my family.”  
The guards’ eyes all lit up with shock, a tear fell from Undyne’s left eye. She gritted her teeth before she spoke, sorrow and anger slowly seeped into her voice, “So, it’s true, then? You won’t give up the human because you’ve… adopted it?!”  
Anguish seeped into the guards’ expression, wounded by betrayal. Asgore spoke, disappointment in his tone, “You don’t understand…”  
Undyne roared, “Then explain it! Explain why you’d keep some food alive and hoarded while the entire kingdom you’re in charge of starves!”  
One of the guards brandished their claws, “There’s no use talking to monsters like him.”  
The rest followed, each brandished their weapon in Asgore’s direction, only Undyne had not. Asgore stepped back a few more paces, “Please. I do not wish to fight you.”  
More tears fell from Undyne’s eyes as she summoned a spear of magic. She frowned at Asgore and spoke in command through her tears, “By the power vested to Dr. Gaster by all of monsterkind; Asgore Dreemurr, you and your family are under house arrest until you give us the human child.”  
She brandished her spear, “Go back home, Asgore Dreemurr.”  
Another spoke, “We’ll allow you use of the castle, so long as you don’t escape.”  
Asgore stood for a few moments before he hung his head, “I’m sorry.”  
He turned before he slowly walked back home; tears began to stain his fur. Once out of sight, Undyne collapsed to the ground in sobs, “I trusted him…”  
Another guard kneeled to comfort her, “We all did.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“House arrest!?” Toriel cried out in worry. Asgore had come home with puffy eyes and stains of tears upon his face. When confronted, he spoke of a house arrest. Everyone held shock in their gaze, Chara only a little.  
Asgore nodded, “Yes…”  
Asriel curled in on himself, “Does that mean… we’re trapped here?”  
Toriel shook her here, “No. I will check the elevator. Surely there is still a way through there!”  
Toriel rushed out the door. She did not give one glance to the area around her until she reached the elevator. She opened a panel nearby the elevator and quickly plugged a few loose wires together. She gave a sigh of relief when she heard the elevator whir to life once more. She pressed the button and the elevator door opened instantly. She stepped into the elevator and waited for the doors to open once more. She kept calm, holding onto hope her plan was still viable. She could tell her children’s spirits were breaking, even Chara’s. Behind that stone gaze they hid behind, she could tell when they were in pain. She concentrated her thoughts on the plan; soon, that pain would all be over.

The doors of the elevator opened to reveal five guards with their weapons brandished. Toriel stood firm with a frown. One of the guards threatened, “Go back home, Toriel Dreemurr.”  
Another spoke up, “We won’t give a second warning. Don’t ever try to use this elevator unless the human is here alone.”  
Toriel sighed before she pressed the button without another word. She quickly returned home to relay the news, “They are at the elevator as well.”  
Asgore frowned, “We are trapped.”  
Asriel shook, “No… there has to be something we can do!”  
Toriel nodded, “Give us some time… we will keep packing. We will figure something out.”  
Chara, silent this whole time, slowly walked towards their room with a numb expression. Toriel noticed, “Chara?!”  
Chara entered their room and closed the door behind them. Asriel rushed in after them, “I’ll take care of this.”  
Toriel nodded, “Take all the time you will need. We will leave you two alone.”

Asriel closed the door behind them. He turned his gaze to Chara’s bed, where they sat with their legs tucked into their chest. They stared straight at a wall with a thoughtful gaze. Asriel nervously approached, “Um… Chara?”  
Chara said nothing. Asriel nervously looked around the room for something to help, “Um…”  
He opened the toy chest, where he found the crayons and a few drawings, “Hey! Wanna color some more? Maybe you can finish coloring in this golden flower drawing you did!”  
Chara said nothing. Asriel whined as he continued to look around the room. He gasped as he found the camcorder. He giggled as he turned it on, the lens cap still on, “Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera!”  
Chara turned their gaze towards Asriel, but did not smile. Asriel huffed, “Come on! You’re supposed to smile or do your creepy face!”  
Chara sighed, “Asriel, turn off the camera.”  
Asriel blinked in confusion and worry, “Turn off the camera…? Okay…”

Asriel set the camera on Chara’s bed. Chara turned towards him, their legs hung off the side of the bed and their arms held them up at their side. Chara kept their serious gaze, their tone downcast, “Asriel… do you trust me?”  
Asriel sat next to them, “Of course I trust you, Chara! You’re my best friend! Why wouldn’t I?”  
Chara held their locket tightly; they hesitated to speak. Asriel raised a brow, “Chara?”  
Chara sighed, “Do you remember the pie we made for Father?”  
Asriel gave a small smile, “Yeah, I remember. The recipe asked for cups of butter… but we accidentally put in buttercups instead.”  
His smile faded, “Those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad… We made mom worry so much. I should have laughed it off… like you did…”  
Chara bit their lip before Asriel turned his gaze towards them, “Um… anyway… where are you going with this?”  
Chara spoke firmly, “Please… listen to me. All of it, okay?”  
Asriel nodded, worry bled into his expression and voice, “Okay…”

Chara continued, “We will not get out of here. I can see that now. Mother and Father may try to deny it, but I clearly see us not escaping this situation. At least… not alive.”  
Asriel whined but allowed Chara to continue, “Mother said the buttercups made Father sick, but… what if they could do more? What if Father had more than one bite?”  
Chara balled up their fists, they began to shake slightly, “Asriel, I… I need you to help me with this. I need you to go get the rest of the buttercups and… help force me to eat all of them.”  
Asriel interjected, “But… won’t you… get sick like dad?”  
Chara nodded, “If I am correct, it would do much more than that.”  
Tears budded from Asriel’s eyes, his voice quiet, “But… why?”  
Chara relaxed their hands, “Remember when we were in Waterfall with Mother? She said that if a monster absorbs a human soul, they might be able to cross the barrier? And that seven human souls could shatter it?”  
Asriel sniffled, “Y-yeah?”  
Chara looked Asriel in the eye, “I need you to absorb my soul. We will then cross the barrier together, get the other six human souls and shatter the barrier.”  
Asriel whimpered, “But… that would mean…”  
“I need you to help me kill myself. And I need you to help me kill six humans.”

Asriel stood, knocking the camcorder over onto the floor, tears began to fall from his eyes, his voice cracked slightly “I… I don’t like this idea, Chara.”  
Chara placed a hand on Asriel’s shoulder, “Asriel, please. You are the only one I can trust with this.”  
Asriel went to interject but saw Chara shed a tear before they spoke, “I am scared, and I don’t want you to suffer because you have to protect me. If we do this, _we’ll be free_.”  
Asriel paused for a moment. He sniffled and whipped the tears from his face, “Okay… We’ll free ourselves…. I’ll go get the flowers.”  
Chara whipped the tear from their eye, “Do not let Mother and Father see them. Wait until they are distracted,”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Asriel closed the door behind him, a basket full of buttercups in his arms. He approached Chara, “I… got them. Mom’s making lunch and Dad’s packing up his room… so I…”  
Asriel’s words trailed off. Chara went to grab a flower but hesitated, “This will not work. The flowers make my hands itch. Mother will suspect something.”  
Asriel whined, “What do we do?”  
Chara mused, “What is Mother making for lunch?”  
“Stew… I think.”  
Chara smiled, “Perfect. Tell her I want to eat in my room.”  
Asriel nodded, “I’ll… eat in here too… I don’t want you to be here alone.”  
Chara took the basket and shoved it under their bed, “Go, it smells like it is ready.”

Asriel nodded before he exited the room and entered the kitchen. He approached Toriel nervously, “Um… mom?”  
Toriel noticed Asriel and kneeled in front of him, “What is it, Asriel?”  
Asriel frowned, “Chara says they want to eat in our room, and I don’t want them to be alone… can we?”  
Toriel smiled and patted his head, “Of course. Are they… alright? Do they not feel well?”  
Asriel shrugged and averted his gaze, “I don’t know.”  
Toriel stood and went to the large pot of stew. She quickly poured two large bowls of the stew and placed them on a tray along with two forks and two cups of water. She lowered the tray to Asriel, “Here, just come out when you need some more.”  
Asriel nodded silently before he entered his and Chara’s room. He placed the tray on the floor near Chara’s bed. Chara sat next to the bed and pulled out the basket, “Lock the door.”  
Asriel quickly ran to the door and locked it, “So… how are we going do this?”  
Chara spoke as Asriel sat nearby them, “Pluck the stems and mix as many flowers as you can into my stew.”  
Asriel nodded before he moved so that he was next to the basket and the tray was in front of him. He began to rip the stems off of the flowers and toss them into the stew. Chara slowly stirred the stew as Asriel continued to toss more flowers into the one bowl. After a while, Chara picked up the bowl, “That should be enough. We have to save some for tonight. And possibly tomorrow morning.”  
Asriel pushed the basket under Chara’s bed then kept his eye on Chara with a heavy frown. Chara dug their fork into the stew but hesitated to lift their fork near their mouth. They stared into the steaming bowl for a few seconds before they took a deep sigh and lifted the fork to their mouth. The first bite was what they imagined. The flowers made the stew disgusting. They swallowed and immediately felt resistance. They clenched their mouth closed before they forced themselves to swallow. Asriel turned his gaze as Chara started to continuously force themselves to eat the flower-filled stew. They both knew this was only the beginning.


	38. Final Breaths

Chara began to cough heavily; their throat hurt and a horrid taste lingered in their mouth. Tears streamed from both their eyes as well as Asriel’s eyes. Chara gagged and covered their mouth. They quickly grabbed Asriel’s water glass and chugged the nearly full glass. They breathed heavily and whipped their mouth before they spoke, their voice slightly hoarse, “One… down.”  
Asriel whined, “Chara, are you sure this is the best way?”  
Chara forced themselves to reply as they set the glass back onto the tray, “Cannot… Spill… blood…. Risk…”  
Asriel interjected, “Please, don’t talk anymore! You’re already in pain-”  
Chara put a hand to Asriel’s mouth, “Don’t…. shout…”  
Asriel nodded, their head pointed downward, “Okay…”  
He stood before he helped Chara stand, “At least… get into bed. Okay?”  
Chara climbed onto their bed, “Hide… flowers…”  
Asriel nodded before he quietly gathered the flowers as Chara settled under the covers. Chara then raised a brow at Asriel’s untouched bowl, “Asriel… eat.”  
Asriel frowned as he pushed the basket under Chara’s bed, “I’m not hungry.”  
“Liar.”  
Asriel hesitated, “…I just don’t want to puke it up again.”  
Chara glared at Asriel, “Risk…”  
Asriel pouted, “I’ll be fine.”  
Chara glared in silence for a few moments before they settled under the covers, “Fine. Be…. Careful.”  
Asriel smiled, “I promise.”  
He made an ‘x’ over his chest, “Besides, I don’t know what souls taste like; so this should be easy.”  
“Cocky.”  
Asriel huffed for a moment before Chara began to violently cough once more. Their breaths became more strained, they chuckled through it, “Working.”  
“You really need-“  
The two heard a knock on their door before Toriel’s voice, “My children? I heard a bad cough, are you two okay?”

The doorknob rattled slightly as Toriel attempted to open the locked door. A small panic seeped into her voice, “Why have you locked the door?!”  
Asriel rushed to the door but hesitated to open it. He took a glance at Chara’s bed. No traces of the flowers. He then unlocked the door and spoke, “Sorry, mom… I guess I did it on accident…”  
She stepped into the room cautiously and turned her gaze to Chara, “Are you unwell, Chara?”  
Chara turned over in their bed towards Toriel and nodded silently. Toriel sighed, “You did not have to hide this from us.”  
She approached and noticed the tray. She frowned at the full bowl, but only gently pushed the tray aside in silence. She kneeled at Chara’s bedside and petted Chara’s head, “Has this been going on very long?”  
Chara spoke carefully, “Just… spiked.”  
Toriel frowned, “Don’t talk; let your voice rest. I will save some stew for you to eat tonight. Hopefully, it is minor.”  
Asriel curled in on himself, Toriel turned towards him and patted his head, “Thank you for helping them through this, but please remember you are not alone in this. You father and I are more than happy to help.”  
She stood, “Come, let us pack while we let Chara rest.”  
Asriel nodded, “Okay…”  
Toriel scooped up the tray before she began to leave the room. Asriel hesitated; he held a worried glance towards Chara. Chara frowned before they mildly jerked their head to the side. The signal to leave. Asriel sighed before he left the room with Toriel.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Chara pouted in bed, their voice worse than before, “I… can… eat… by … myself.”  
Toriel kneeled at Chara’s bedside that evening, indeed the entire family was at Chara’s bedside, each sick with worry. Toriel held a bowl of stew in one hand and a spoon filled with stew in the other, both close to Chara. Toriel put the spoon back into the bowl and spoke firmly, “You can barely sit up. You need help.”  
Chara reiterated, “I… can… do it… my… self…”  
Chara held their head and groaned; a wet cloth placed there fell onto their lap. Asgore pleaded, “Please, Chara. Your symptoms are worsening. Let us help you.”  
Chara lightly shook their head, their headache worsened with each swing, “I want… to do it… myse-“  
Chara once again coughed violently. They almost gagged but forced themselves to keep it down. They then struggled to regain their breath with their mouth wide open. Toriel sighed, “If I allow you to eat by yourself, will you promise to let us nurse you the rest of the way?”  
Chara gave a single slow nod. Toriel stood, “Very well. I will continue the search in the garden for any herbs to soothe or heal you.”  
Toriel placed the bowl of stew in Asriel’s hands before she left. Asgore was quick to approach Chara. He hugged them tightly and spoke in sympathy, “Regardless of what caused this illness, you will recover.”  
Chara said nothing; they only limply accepted the hug until Asgore pulled away. He spoke, “Please, get some rest after you eat. With luck, this will pass tomorrow.”  
Asgore turned to Asriel, “Do not be afraid to call for my help. I will be in the living room.”  
Asgore exited the room, the door closed behind him. Asriel sighed as they approached Chara with the bowl of stew, “Chara, are you sure this will work?”  
Chara nodded as they took the bowl, “Already… working.”  
Chara then pointed below, “Flowers.”  
Asriel nodded before he kneeled down and retrieved the basket of flowers. He spoke, “It’s a good thing your scent is stronger than these flowers.”  
Chara raised a brow for a second before they dismissed it. They held the bowl closer to Asriel, “As… many… as… you can. Last… time…”  
Asriel frowned, but complied with Chara’s request, “Chara… can I be honest?”  
Chara raised a brow, “Hmm?”  
Asriel continued nervously, “I’m scared, I don’t know why but… your scent is more… um…”  
“Intoxicating?”  
Asriel nodded, “Y-yeah… I don’t know how much longer I can last.”  
Chara smiled, “Finished… tonight…”  
“Right…”  
“Then… we... run… far… from… here. Together.”  
“All of us?”  
“All… four… of… us.”  
Asriel finished mixing the flowers into the stew, “I… didn’t get all of them, but I think I got more in than before.”  
Chara turned their gaze to the stew and nodded, “Should be… enough.”  
Chara began to forcefully eat the stew once again.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The Dreemurrs came to Chara’s bedside once more to nurse Chara. They all stayed at their side; even at it grew deep into the night. All four members of the family were tired, but none could sleep properly. Chara could barely keep their head up anymore, aside from random convulsions that sometimes caused their neck to jerk. Each shake made their headache and dizziness worse. It was only an hour or so in that they finally could not hold in their retches. A bucket was placed at their bedside, which forced Chara to be at the edge of their bed the whole time. The entire family once more was at Chara’s bedside. Toriel held a small bowl of herbs ground into a paste but hesitated to give it to Chara as they once again retched into their bucket. Tears dropped in after, they could only wheeze and lean against Toriel’s chest. Toriel continued to pet Chara’s head with her free hand, “Shh, that’s it. Let it all out, my child.”  
Asriel sniffled with tears in his eyes as he watched Toriel slowly move Chara back into the bed. Their arm convulsed in the process before it limped against Chara’s form. Toriel whipped away her tears before she spoke, “Do you think you could try to stomach this paste? It should ease the pain if nothing else.”  
Asgore frowned, “I should have planted more soothing herbs.”  
Chara was silent before their eyes fluttered closed. They struggled to breathe; their breaths slowly became slow and shallow. Tears dripped from Toriel’s eyes. Her voice began to crack, “Please, Chara. You must fight this! Keep breathing!”  
Chara’s muscles tensed but ultimately failed to move. Their eyes struggled to open, only to be greeted with rough shapes and muddled cries. Even as they closed their eyes, the muddled cries continued. The sound and the pain was all Chara could feel. The only sign they were still alive.  
Toriel sobbed, “Chara… can you hear me? We want you to wake up… please… please wake up…”  
Asgore tried to keep his voice firm, inspiring even, “Chara! You have to stay determined! You can’t give up!”  
His voice dropped to a sob; he could not continue. Asriel sat at the head of the bed in silent sobs, closed in on himself. He clenched his jaw and his fists tightly. He couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t do anything. He felt his guilt overwhelm him, not just from the pain Chara was in, but the sobs of his parents as well. All he could do was sit there and cry in silence. All he could do was listen to the cries of his parents and the slowing breaths of his best friend.

Three breaths. Two breaths. One breath. A pause. No more came. Toriel cried out, “No! Chara!”  
She quickly attempted to perform CPR on Chara, breathing into them for a few moments before she rhythmically pushed into their chest. Through her tears, she begged, “Please, please, open your eyes!”  
She resuscitated Chara once again. No response. She put her ear to their chest. Their heartbeat slowed. Toriel went to resuscitate Chara again, but this time noticed something. She pulled away, “Their…. Their throat has swelled. They cannot breathe…”  
Her voice broke, “We… we were too late.”  
Toriel broke down. She fell to her knees in loud sobs. The bowl containing the herb paste had been dropped and broken. Asgore went to his wife and put her to her feet. He then slowly led her out of the room as she loudly and grossly sobbed into his shoulder. All the while, his tears never ended. Asriel hesitated as he heard Asgore lead Toriel into the living room. He then whipped his tears and stood at Chara’s bedside. He sniffled before he spoke quietly, “Chara… please… wake up… I don’t like this plan anymore…”

No response from Chara. Asriel soon broke into sobs against the side of Chara’s bed. He sobbed for what felt like hours, but it was only minutes until he recognized a new scent. Curious, his eyes fluttered back open. His gaze turned towards Chara, where he saw a curious event. A crimson light shone from a single point on Chara’s chest. It soon formed into a heart shape and floated just above Chara’s chest. He raised his brow, “What is that?”  
Images surfaced in his mind, the realization washed over him. He gave a light gasp before he spoke, “Chara’s… soul.”  
A second realization washed over Asriel; he knew if he could see this, then Chara was truly dead. His tears continued to flow as he stared at the soul of their best friend. He hesitated to even touch it. He soon scooped up the soul and gently cradled it with both of his hands. The soul was warm to the touch and seemed to pulse gently with energy as it floated in Asriel’s hands. As he stared at it, he felt something strange awaken within him. He widened his eyes, he felt drool pool within his mouth, and his belly gurgled in anticipation. The thought he feared crossed his mind; the thought to devour the soul in his hands. He gave a soft cry, “No… I- I can’t.”  
His arms began to shake and tense. All the while, Chara’s soul was the only thing in his vision. His mouth hung open slightly and his arms slowly began to move upwards towards it. He spoke in sobs, “No… I won’t… I don’t want to!”  
His arms continued to move slowly. They continued to shake as he tried to overcome this instinct. He spoke again, “I can’t, Chara’s depending on me…”  
His arms never stopped, not until Chara’s soul was close to Asriel’s mouth. He could practically taste the warmth radiating from the soul. He begged, “No… stop… I don’t want this.”  
He tried to clench his mouth closed but found it opening no matter how many times he tried to keep it closed. He closed his eyes and shook, “N-no!”  
With all of his strength and determination, he pulled the soul away from his mouth and shoved it deep into his chest. He felt the soul enter into his body with no hesitation. It was then that something new happened. He felt himself change.

Slowly, he felt himself grow, even his bones began to move and reform. No pain came to him in those moments of change. It wasn’t long before the feeling stopped. He paused before he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was his hands, larger than he remembered and with long, sharp, crimson-tipped claws. The next thing he focused on was his clothes; changed to a long, purple robe with white long sleeves. The symbol of his kingdom was emblazoned on the chest of the robe. His shoes were destroyed by the transformation, revealing grown, slightly hunched feet. The claws of his feet were grown and crimson-tipped as well. He gasped at the transformation and began to pat himself down, “What?”  
He felt his locket almost tight against his neck; the chain nearly a choker. He then felt the top of his head, where he stopped in awe. Curled back from the top of his head were long horns. He took a moment to take this transformation in before he gasped in realization. He spoke out in worry, “Chara?!”  
His voice had become deeper, but the shock of that was subsided by a familiar voice in their head, ‘I knew I could trust you.’  
Asriel smiled and spoke, a hand to his chest, “Chara! Thank goodness.”  
Chara shushed him, ‘Quiet, do not talk so loudly.’  
Asriel remembered Asgore and Toriel were in the living room, “R-right…”  
Chara mused, ‘Try… talking without speaking.’  
Asriel raised a brow before they spoke in their mind, ‘What’s that?’  
Chara sounded pleased, ‘You are doing it now.’  
Asriel blinked before he continued to do so, ‘This is… I don’t even know what to think.’  
Chara spoke in a reassuring voice, ‘this is what we are; we are strong now.’  
Asriel fiddled with his hands, ‘I… guess.’

He paused, ‘So… what now?’  
Asriel’s feet began to move towards Chara’s bed, Asriel panicked, ‘Wh-what’s happening?!’  
Chara spoke, ‘It appears we can both control this body.’  
‘Oh… okay...’  
Chara used their influence to pick up their own corpse bridal style. They chuckled, ‘So this is what I smell like to you.’  
Asriel blinked, ‘Huh? You can smell what I smell, now?!’  
Chara let out a noise of confirmation, ‘Yes, and I must admit, I do smell delicious.’  
Asriel whined, ‘Chara….’  
Chara chuckled, ‘I am not interested in devouring my own body, but I will not allow _him_ to use it.’  
Asriel’s body began to walk towards the door. Asriel raised a brow, ‘So then… we’re taking it with us?’  
‘Yes’  
Asriel stopped at the door, ‘Wait… mom and dad are in the living room. They’ll hear us!’  
‘Then we will run. Hold my body tightly.’

The two opened the door together before Asriel hugged Chara’s body tightly. Chara then gained control of the legs and made a mad dash to the stairs. The two heard Toriel call out, “Asriel?”  
Chara spoke firmly, ‘Ignore it. We keep running.’  
Asriel nodded as the two disappeared down the stairs. Toriel cried out, “Asriel!?”  
Asgore and Toriel gave chase, barely able to see Asriel and Chara as they ran through the castle. Asriel whined, ‘They’re still chasing us…’  
The two ran through the Last Corridor as Chara spoke, ‘We are close, Asriel. Let them chase us, and then we will run the instant we break the barrier.’  
Asriel nodded, ‘Right…”  
The two ran into the throne room and into the tunnel. They slowed to a walk as they approached the barrier. The two then stood in front of it. Chara spoke, ‘The moment of truth.’  
Asriel gulped, “Let’s hope this works…"  
The two took a deep breath before they walked forwards through the barrier. They felt little resistance, almost as though the barrier was a wall of fog to them. Both of them smiled as Asriel spoke with relief, “It worked!”  
The two heard Toriel call out, “Asriel!”  
The two turned around to see Asgore and Toriel arrive at the barrier. Asgore stood in awe as Toriel gasped, “What… Asriel!? What… what did you?...”  
Her words trailed off, no longer sure what to say. Chara smiled before they spoke, “I am taking them to see the golden flowers… one last time…”  
Chara then turned and ran off, ignoring the cries of their parents still trapped behind the barrier.


	39. Sorrows

‘Why did you tell them that, Chara?’ Asriel asked as Chara continued to have the two of them run down the mountainside of Mount Ebbot. Chara did not respond, they instead focused on the mountainside. Asriel huffed, annoyed, “Chara.”  
Chara soon stopped halfway down the mountain and spoke inwardly with a frown, ‘It was merely an excuse.’  
Asriel let out a ‘huh’, now satisfied in his curiosity, before he took in his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the gentle, but cool breeze on his fur. His robe and even his ears lightly fluttered in the autumn breeze. The grass and changing leaves sounded a low hum as the wind rushed through them. He heard a plethora of bugs chirp throughout the trees, the strongest sounds in the night. He had heard all these sounds at a distance when he watched the sunset with his parents, but this was much more than he could have ever hoped for. His eyes widened as a new realization hit him. He then slowly turned his gaze upwards to the night sky. He was still at the sight. The inky blackness above him was familiar, but what dotted it was something new. Stars dotted the sky, real stars. His jaw dropped as he marveled at the sight. A few small tears dripped from his eyes, “Chara… this is…”  
Chara spoke calmly, ‘Yes. This is the real night sky. Those are the real stars.’  
Asriel frowned, “Um… where’s the moon?”  
Chara moved their head around in an aimless attempt to find the moon, “It is most likely a new moon tonight; when it is almost invisible.”  
Asriel let out a noise of disappointment, “Aww, I wanted to see it.”  
Chara turned the body’s gaze towards a city not too far from the foot of Mount Ebbot, ‘We can. After we free Mother and Father.’  
Asriel focused on the city, far brighter than the stars above. He could hear faint noises in the distance, ones he did not recognize. He frowned, “Right…”

He turned his gaze downwards and paused upon a small creek. Through the slow-moving water, he saw what he had become. His eyes had become the same as Chara’s eyes, crimson. Under his eyes, running through to his cheeks and to under his ears were two curls of crimson fur, one on each side of his head. He almost put a hand to one of them, if not for Chara’s body in his arms. He gave a small, almost sorrowful smile, “I… I can barely recognize myself… it’s almost like… I grew up when I absorbed your soul…”  
Chara mused, ‘Perhaps, but now is not the time to gawk at what we have become.’  
Asriel turned from the stream, once again his eyes laid upon the city, “I know… six souls… and then we run.”

He held Chara’s corpse tightly as he began to once more head towards the city. The sounds he heard grew as they drew closer; beeps and vrooms. He blinked, ‘What are those noises?’  
The two entered the outskirts of town, many a building under construction, temporarily abandoned in their construction as the sun went down. Chara perked an ear before speaking in a manner of fact, ‘Cars.’  
The two saw various building equipment, trucks, tools, and various supplies. Asriel raised a brow, ‘What’s a… car?’  
Chara stopped in the middle of one of the construction sites and looked around them. They soon spotted a small, blue vehicle near the site’s closed entrance, ‘There. A car has many variations, but that is a basic variation.’  
Asriel approached, sparks of curiosity in his gaze, “This looks sooo cool! You think we could get one?!”  
Chara chuckled, their shoulders bounced lightly, “So far, we appear to be just as fast as one.”  
Asriel mused, “Yeah, but… we’ll get tired.”  
Chara smirked and chuckled darkly, “And you propose carrying one around until we do tire?  
Asriel pouted and blushed, “Well…. I don’t know… It just kinda sounded cool…”  
Chara smiled for a moment before they frowned, “Come on, we should not delay any more. The city square should have more than enough people, even at this time of night.”

Asriel nodded before the two of them jumped over the nearest wall. Upon landing, they saw strange pickets and posters but paid them no mind as they continued onwards. Chara led the way to the city square. The streets were bare except for a few cars parked on the side of the roads. Asriel blinked in confusion, “Are… human cities really this empty?”  
‘It is very late, they are asleep, but there still should be enough awake for us to meet our goal.’

The two entered the city square in a matter of moments. The city square was full of a variety of businesses, including but not limited to late night bars booming loud music. Before he saw any humans, Asriel’s eyes were drawn to the large statue in the center of the square. The statue itself was surrounded by a large bed of golden flowers, ones Asriel recognized from Chara’s drawings. The statue was large, about two feet over Asriel and Chara, including the base. The circular base held seven figures about Asriel and Chara’s height; humans. Each held a heart in their hands. They stood in a circle, facing outwards, so no matter where one stood at the base of the statue, there would be a face to look upon. Their expressions were downcast, solemn, and melancholic. The statue appeared worn due to age; some cracks have started to appear in various places on the statue. Asriel then turned his gaze to the circular base of the statue and saw words engraved on it. He read it aloud, “May we always remember those brave souls who saved our race from the monsters that now sleep within Mount Ebbot.”  
He then noticed at the foot of each person was a name, most of them worn through time. Asriel paused, “Mom and dad were right… souls made the barrier…”  
Chara rolled their eyes, ‘I am surprised it is still here.’  
Asriel placed Chara’s body into the golden flowerbed before he began to closely examine the statue, ‘Why? Do you not like it?’  
‘Some want to remove it. Others want it to stay. There was a similar issue with additional construction towards Mount Ebbot…’  
Asriel raised a brow as he examined the names engraved in the statue, ‘How do you know all of this?’  
Before Chara answered, the two heard a voice, “Hey! What are you doing over there?!”

Chara and Asriel turned their gaze to see a police officer at the edge of the field of flowers. He glared at them as he approached. Chara frowned, ‘Asriel, let us begin.’  
The police officer raised a brow, “What are you doing? Were you about to deface the statue?”  
He snarked and squinted his eyes to attempt to see Asriel and Chara in the street-lit area, “And what’s with the costume? Halloween’s next month.”  
He smiled, “Got to admit, it looks pretty good. You make cosplay for a living or something?’  
Asriel hesitated, “Well… I.”  
Chara hissed, ‘Asriel, what are you waiting for?’  
The officer squinted even more, almost upon Asriel and Chara, “Damn, almost looks like real fur…”  
Chara sighed, ‘Fine. I will do it myself. Do not interfere.’  
Chara took control of the body and summoned two balls of fire. The police officer immediately backed up in shock, “W-Wait… You can’t be-”  
He fell over into the bed of flowers as Chara and Asriel towered over him, Chara ready to throw the flame in their hands. The officer screamed and curled into a ball as Chara motioned to throw the flames. Suddenly, the body stopped and the flames dispersed. Their eyes widened, their muscles tensed. Chara growled, yet struggled to speak, “Asriel…”  
Asriel pleaded, “But he’s not hurting us!”  
“Asriel, we have to get six.”  
“But he didn’t do anything!”  
“They are all the same,”  
The officer noticed he was no longer under attack and scurried back to his car as Asriel and Chara continued to argue with each other. He grabbed his radio and called into the radio in a panic, “All units! We have a 217 against an officer! Backup requested immediately in the town square!”  
Chara perked up as a response came in through the radio, “Roger that, on our way to your location.”  
Chara growled, “We have to do this now,”  
Asriel curled inwards slightly, “But-“  
Chara nearly roared, “Do you want mom and dad to be trapped with him?! If you refuse to kill them, I will.”  
Chara tried to move their body but found resistance once more. Sirens could be heard in the near distance as the officer cowered in his car, constantly on the radio. Chara managed to gain control of their muscles and threw a fireball at the officer’s car. The officer screamed out before he jumped out of the car. The car exploded from the impact, the debris and explosion jettisoned the officer into the middle of the street in a mangled, unmoving heap. Asriel yelled, “Chara! Why did you do that?!”

Out of the corner of their eyes, two police cars drove into the town square. Four officers appeared from the two cars. One shouted out, “HOLY FUCK! Monsters are real!?”  
Another cocked their gun, “Whatever it is, it killed Jason! Open fire!”  
A barrage of bullets was fired into Asriel and Chara’s chest. No blood came from the wounds, but the pain was present all the same. Asriel panicked, “We have to get out of here!”  
Chara stood their ground, only heard by Asriel in the sound of gunshots, “No! We have to stay and kill them!”  
Asriel moved back to the statue to scoop up Chara’s body. They stopped just short of the corpse. Chara pleaded, “Please! We almost have enough here!”  
Asriel struggled to move, he shook as he tried to move, yet Chara tried to stay. One of the police officers threw their pistol in a grunt, “Where’s the damn shotgun!?”  
Another shouted out, “Don’t! You’ll only get killed!”  
The first officer searched their car and pulled out a shotgun, “That thing’s going after a kid! It’s dead!”  
Tears began to form in Chara’s eyes, “Asriel! We have to! We are close to freeing Mother and Father!”  
Asriel shook their head, “No! There has to be another way!”  
Chara shrieked in terror and rage, “ASRIEL!!!”

Before the two could move another muscle, they heard a large gunshot. A large, sharp pain erupted in their chest. Everything was still, the gunshots ended; the world nearly became silent save for a hum in their ears. Chara and Asriel stumbled to their knees before they put their hand to the wound. The wound was nearly as large as their hand. Their eyes widened in shock as a strange numbness overtook them. Asriel panicked once more. He scooped up Chara’s body and began to run. More gunshots fired behind them until they were far out of range of the weapons. Nothing was said; only tears flowed until the two reached Mount Ebbot. Their pace began to slow as they hiked up the mountain. Chara was the first to speak, their tone quiet and somber, “Why?... We were so close…”  
Asriel hesitated, “I… I panicked… I… I’m so sorry…”  
The tears grew in their intensity before Chara spoke, “I died for this plan, Asriel… I just… I just-”  
Asriel interrupted, “We’ll… find another way…”  
Chara sobbed, “There is no other way, Asriel….”  
Asriel paused, “Are… are we gonna die?”  
Chara gave a small laugh through their tears, “Yes… we are…”  
Asriel smiled, “Then… can I ask you something?”  
“What?”  
“You said before that human souls can rein… rien… um… can come back to life as a new human… right?”  
“Uh-huh…”  
“Then… can you promise me… if you do… can you come back to Mount Ebbot?”  
He gave a light chuckle to hold in his sobs, “Maybe… you can free mom and dad… without a crybaby like me… holding you back.”  
Chara smiled, “Who knows? I most likely will not remember this life.”  
“Can you… promise me anyway?”  
Chara paused, the entrance to the castle in their view, “…Alright, Asriel… I promise.”  
“Thank… you…”

The two entered the barrier, once again uninhibited by the wall. Asriel raised a brow as the two struggled to walk, ‘Where… are they?’  
‘Probably just... ahead.’  
The two rounded the corner into the throne room to see Toriel and Asgore, both in tears at their thrones. Asgore leaned against his throne while Toriel attempted to comfort him. Toriel noticed Asriel and Chara first. She gasped, “Asriel?!..”  
The two of them spoke, “Mom… Father…”  
Asgore and Toriel both stood in shock as Asriel and Chara slowly walked over to them. With their final step, mere feet away from them, Asriel and Chara felt no more strength come to them. In front of their parents’ eyes, the two dispersed into dust. Chara’s corpse and their matching lockets dropped to the floor with it, coated by dust. Toriel screamed in horror, “NO!!!”  
She dropped to her knees and sobbed. Asgore stood there in a paralyzed shock for a few moments before he kneeled down to Toriel. He pulled Toriel into his arms and wept with her for a few moments before he pulled away with a small gasp. He frowned, his tone serious, “Tori, I need you to listen to me.”  
Toriel failed to reduce her weeping until Asgore brushed away a few tears from her face. He continued as he cradled her face, “Take Chara’s body and run. Run to Home and activate the protective magic in reverse.”  
A few more tears ran down Toriel’s face, her voice cracked, “No… Gorey… I cannot leave you here!”  
Asgore pulled Toriel into a hug, his own voice faltered, “You must. If we both leave, the guard will catch us. I will distract them for as long as I am able.”  
The two shared a long, deep kiss before Asgore pulled away, “Go.”  
Toriel stood and scooped up Chara’s dust-covered body. She smiled, “I love you.”  
Asgore nuzzled her nose one last time, “I love you, my sweet Toriel.”  
With tears still falling from her eyes, Toriel ran out of the throne room. Deep in her heart, she knew that this was the last time she would see her husband.

In the distance, she heard footsteps close in from the direction of the castle entrance. She quickly ducked into a dark corner and waited for the footsteps to pass her by. She then did not stop her running until the elevator to the Core. She gasped for breath in the elevator, a tight grasp over her child’s corpse. Her grip loosened before she set the corpse down in the corner of the elevator. She breathed in deeply. The elevator stopped. The doors opened. In an instant, she sent forth a large torrent of fire on her would be assailants. Screams echoed as she burned all who would attack her to dust. After a minute of flames, Toriel slumped against the side of the elevator opposite Chara’s corpse. She caught her breath quickly before she scooped up and continued her journey. Through the Core, Through Hotland, and even past Gaster’s lab. The few that did oppose her were quickly dealt with.

She was slow when she approached Riverperson’s dock, she knocked herself into the bell, barely able to continue to stand. Riverperson was quick to arrive. The spoke solemnly, “Tra la la, when I expressed my desire to see Chara once again… I did not hope for this.”  
Toriel climbed onto the boat, “Please… take me as close as you can to Home, as quickly as you can. I beg of you.”  
Riverperson turned forward, “Very well, to Snowdin we go.”  
The boat was slow at first, but it soon jettisoned along the river. Toriel smiled, “Thank you… Riverperson.”  
Riverperson spoke calmly, “It is the least I can do, but take great caution on land.”  
Toriel nodded, “Do you know any shortcuts? I must make it to Home unnoticed.”  
Riverperson turned their gaze back to Toriel, “Your children spoke of a path near the riverside. You will avoid the village of Snowdin with it.”  
The boat was quick; it stopped at the Snowdin dock in a matter of seconds after Riverperson spoke. Riverperson leaned over slightly but spoke calmly, “You have arrived.”  
Toriel stood and cradled Chara’s corpse, “Thank you, Riverperson, and… goodbye.”  
Riverperson nodded, “Goodbye, Toriel Dreemurr.”


	40. Realization

Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the castle halls as the seven guards ran towards the throne room. Undyne led the charge, focused on finding the source of the anguished cry from what she could only assume was Toriel Dreemurr. She and the remainder of the guard were quick to enter the throne room, mere minutes after the anguished cry was rung. Undyne scanned the room quickly and found Asgore in between the thrones with tears dripping from his beard and his eyelids swollen red. Nearby, Undyne’s eyes widened at the sight; a pile of dust. One of the guards covered their mouth in shock, another stepped back. Undyne hesitated before she spoke, “Is that-“  
Another guard interrupted her, “It can’t be her! She was just fine!”  
A different guard was fired up, “Did you kill her?”

A fourth perked up in suspicion, “Wait… if that’s Toriel… where’s Asriel? Where’s the human?!”  
Asgore, still distraught, spoke solemnly, “Toriel… she is gone…”  
Undyne sounded a small gasp of disbelief, “How… How could she be gone?”  
The fourth growled, “That still doesn’t answer my question!”  
A fifth facepalmed, “We’re fucking dumb! They could have done this to let the human slip away!”  
The second concurred, “I’ll go check the house-“  
Asgore perked up immediately and sent orbs of flame past his guardsmen. He lowered his stance but said nothing. The third guard scowled and readied their weapon, “So that’s it? You’re still protecting the damn human?!”  
Undyne summoned her spear and pointed it towards Asgore, “You can’t keep us here, Asgore.”  
Asgore lowered his head, his eyes obscured from Undyne’s view by his hair, “If that is what I must do, then I will.”

The sixth guard growled in agitation before they roared, “DIE, YOU TRAITOR!”  
The guard charged Asgore, their claws poised above them. Asgore easily dodged the guard as they slashed their claws into Toriel’s throne. They went to remove their claws but quickly found them stuck in the metal of the throne. They shook for a second before they turned their gaze to Asgore as he summoned his trident. Asgore then smacked the monster across the room with said trident’s side. Undyne saw the other guards on edge, she gritted her teeth and shouted, “Don’t attack him individually!”

The rest of the guard charged at Asgore, ready to attack. Asgore counteracted by sending torrents of flames for the guard to dodge. Two of them were burned and dropped to the ground in attempts to choke the flames. Undyne was the first to reach Asgore, she readied her spear to attack but Asgore parried her spear with little effort. The two clashed for a few moments before Asgore managed to knock her back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a guard attempt to run out of the throne room, but he sent another torrent of flame to stop them. Undyne managed to stay on her feet after being knocked back, but before she could attack, three guards charged Asgore, flanking him. Asgore managed to block and parry two of the attackers, but the last one’s claws dug into his left side. One of the guards cried out, “Go! Now! We got this!”  
Undyne growled but noticed she was the closest to the entrance of the throne room. Asgore noticed this and summoned more flames, but another guard blocked them. Undyne then exited the throne room and did not stop until she was at the entrance to the castle.

It was a simple, but large ramp with intricate but thick railings on either side of the gigantic entranceway. All carved when the castle was built. At the end of the ramp stood four guards, fully armored. One of them raised a brow to Undyne’s panicked expression, “What happened? What was that cry about?”  
Undyne paused to catch her breath, “The pri- Asriel’s gone! And so is the human!”  
A second one cursed, “Shit- really?!”  
Undyne nodded, “I’m sure.”  
The third backed up, “I-it couldn’t have gone out through here!”  
The fourth guard rushed off, “You all look for it! I’ll tell Dr. Gaster!”  
Undyne shouted to the monster in a rush, “Didn’t he go back to his lab in Hotland?!”  
The fourth guard cursed loudly before they charged ahead, determined to deliver the news. Undyne turned to the remaining guards, “C’mon! Let’s check the elevator to the Core!”  
One of the remaining guards nodded to her before they ran with her to the elevator, leaving two guards at the castle entrance.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The guard was short of breath when they made it to Dr. Gaster’s lab in Hotland. So much so that they fell onto the floor once the door to the building was opened for them. Alphys gasped and quickly went to help the tired guard, “Are you alright?! What happened?!”  
The guard was quick to catch his breath as Alphys helped them up, “Wher-where’s Dr. Gaster?! He needs to hear something immediately!”  
Alphys finished helping the guard to their feet, “He’s in the lower lab. I think he’s working on the blood he managed to take from the human.”  
“That’s why I’m here! The human and the prince are missing from the castle!”  
Horror crept into her gaze, “Stay here! I-I’ll be faster by myself!”  
The guard nodded as Alphys rushed into the nearby elevator. Once the doors opened, she fervently rushed past her colleagues. Once deep into the lab, she pounded on a door and spoke in panic, “Dr. Gaster! We have an emergency!”  
After a few moments, the door opened to reveal Dr. Gaster. He frowned at Alphys, “This better be important.”  
Alphys nods, “It is! The human and the prince- they’re disappeared from the castle! They’re gone!”

Gaster’s face lit up in fear, his eyes even bloomed in their radiance. He shook but did not speak. He teleported to the monitor room, thankfully empty, and quickly began to search by way of the cameras throughout the underground. He spoke, “They couldn’t have gotten far. There are only so many places to hide here!”

After a few minutes, he shifted to a camera on the outskirts of Snowdin. He saw fresh footprints in the snow, ones he recognized easily. His eyes widened, still glowing, “There!”  
He teleported there and examined the footprints. The footprints were larger than expected and they went in the direction of Home. His eyes narrowed, “These are not Asriel’s…”  
His eyes widened in realization, “No!”  
He focused to teleport to Home. His form shifted slightly before he doubled over, a pounding headache ensued. Disbelief crept into his expression, “No!”  
He teleported to the entrance of Home and saw the door was firmly sealed shut. No knob to turn, no way to enter from the Snowdin side. Gaster was quick to notice that the footprints ended at this door. His suspicions were confirmed.  
He growled and roared before a blaster appeared at his side. The blaster fired at the door, a constant barrage to the door. Each attack sent Gaster’s roar louder and louder until he finally tired after a full minute of a sustained blast. He dropped to his hands and knees and caught his breath as the smoke began to clear. No damage appeared to be sustained by the door. It was only then that he noticed the small shimmer of magic along the entire expanse before him. Home was sealed shut, in reverse of its intended use.

Once he caught his breath, he smirked. It was soon after that he began to chuckle; one that was mirthful at first, before it slowly evolved to a crazed fit of laughter. He stopped before he spoke, “You’re just behind that door, aren’t you, Toriel Dreemurr?”  
No response, Gaster chuckled again as he stood up, “I must admit, you worked quickly. Did you plan for this? Or was this a last ditch effort?”  
No response. Gaster relaxed, his eyes stopped their glow, “No matter…”  
He put his hands to a steeple before his smirk became more crazed, “You chose your own prison. I wonder… how much longer can you last before you devour that human?”  
He chuckled again, his eyes widened to match his crazed smirk, “Will you exit those ruins before you eat the human? Or will you succumb to your rightful instincts and devour your precious human _child_?”  
A few moments pass. No response comes. Gaster calmed himself, “I will see the results someday. I look forward to it.”

He teleported back into his office, unbeknownst to any of his colleagues. He paused, his expression deafened to numbness as he sat down at his desk. Moments passed, but nothing came from the Royal Scientist as he was at last able to take in all that had happened. Tears formed and fell from his eye sockets. The realization hit him fiercely. All that he’s worked for, the last hope to prevent his people from dying out, was gone. It would take years and energy no one in the underground could spare to unlock the seals that now surround Home. He curled his hands into fists, racking his mind for some sort of answer. Something to fix this, _anything_. Nothing came, except more tears. There was nothing left but his grief. There was… nothing.  
He relaxed upon that realization; his tears slowed, his hand uncurled, and he relaxed in his chair. If there was nothing, then there was only one thing to do.

He stood and teleported to the Core. He walked over to the edge of the walkway and turned his gaze downwards, into his creation. There was a pause, a deep breath. He turned his gaze upwards to sweep the area; to take in his surroundings. He saw something he did not expect. Far across the lake of white energy, he could see many monsters rushing in panic. Many of them were scientists, but he recognized a few of them as guards. He noticed the scientists were helping to carry injured guards away, desperate to find aid for them.

His eyes widened at the sight. A new realization hit him. He stepped back with a groan. He gave himself a dry chuckle, “What was I thinking?”  
He gave a deep sigh as he relaxed further, the thought that overcame him before was banished from his mind. It was no longer an option. He spoke quietly, but firmly, “I can’t abandon them.”  
He stood tall, his tears wiped from his skull. A newfound gaze of determination graced his face, “They need someone to guide them… They need me.”  
He sighed, his determined gaze relaxed to a small smile, “There is so much to be done… I suppose I should get started.”  
He teleported away. There was so much work to do and so little time to do it.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A week had passed, and Gaster was at his desk. He finished examining a large stack of papers, reports, and pictures. He grabbed a pen and a large notebook before he turned to a blank page and wrote.

_The final pieces of the puzzle concerning the human have finally come together. From what has been gathered from interrogating Asgore, to physical evidence, I can only conclude this to be the sequence of events:_

_First and foremost, the Dreemurrs were put under house arrest, and subsequently, the human found out about it via Asgore and Toriel Dreemurr investigating both exits of the castle. Upon that realization, the human sequestered themselves to Asriel’s room, turned into a room for the two of them. With Asriel, the human schemed to commit suicide under the guise of illness by ingesting buttercups; evidenced by the buttercup stems found under the human’s bed. According to Asgore, the human perished late that very night. This was part of the human’s plan. Asgore may deny this, but with how Asgore later described Asriel’s appearance, the human convinced Asriel to absorb their soul. They have proven my theory correct that with one human soul, a single monster can cross the barrier. While the human’s ultimate goal remains unclear, I hypothesize that the human planned to gather either two souls to free only Toriel and Asgore, or gather the remaining six needed to shatter the barrier. Regardless, the plan was to free themselves of me. This included taking their corpse with them._

_However, their plan failed. Something happened on the surface, and the two returned to the throne room, only to collapse into dust within moments of returning. It was then that Toriel screamed in horror, alerting the Royal Guard. However, at Asgore’s insistence, Toriel found her way through the castle with the human’s corpse and fled to Home. She escaped using the elevator to the Core, and nearly incinerated anyone in her way. It is also clear she used the Riverperson to expedite her journey. She then activated the protective and trapping magics of Home. Somehow turning them in reverse. Instead of trapping any magicians inside of Home, she created a secondary barrier inside Home. This prevents anyone from entering by magic, including myself. Therefore, the human’s corpse now lies in Home, either eaten or buried._

_I must admit, should the human’s plan have succeeded, monsterkind would either have been freed in its entirety, or only a small family of monsters would have been freed. This does, however, confirm my suspicions that it is dangerous to have one monster absorb a soul to gather the remaining six. Meaning, we must gather the full seven to guarantee monsterkind’s freedom. The hope for merely one to fall down dwindles by the day, as does the overall survival of monsterkind. I will have to ensure the small amount of the substitute that is produced from the human’s blood is rationed and distributed extremely carefully._

He paused, racking his brain to think of what to write next. After a few moments, he continued.

_Officially, the rule of the underground has been transferred to me. While I reject the title of ‘king’, all monsters look to me as such. I was correct in rejecting my own ill-conceived suicide plot; monsterkind would be lost without someone such as myself to guide them. I have learned much from the previous rule. I know now what kind of ruler I must be. If something needs to be done, I will no longer ask for permission._

Gaster closed the notebook and stood from his desk. With a sigh, he went to the door and opened it. He found Alphys there, about to knock on the door. She blushed and flustered, “D-Dr. Gaster! I hope I wasn’t… disturbing you…”  
Gaster rolled his eyes, “It is nothing, I was finished.”  
Alphys smiled, “Good, I am just… here to remind you of your next meeting, like you asked me to.”  
Gaster smirked, “Then we must be off.”  
Alphys nodded, “Yes, sir!”


End file.
